Mowing the lawn, cleaning the gutters, and fixing the leaky sink can seem mundane and bothersome to people who already own their own homes, but for some people, these everyday tasks will soon be part of a dream come true. Beginning in February, several area residents will soon become homeowners, thanks to Habitat for Humanity's most recent effort in Loudoun County.

Peter Kanis, president of Loudoun Habitat for Humanity, has a catchphrase to describe the efforts that go into creating, from scratch, a home for a family who needs one: "It takes teamwork to make a dream work."

One of the two new houses Habitat is now building in St. Louis, will belong to Chitonda Washington, a Middleburg resident who works at Middleburg Bank. Ms. Washington applied for the house in August, and heard the good news on September 10. Construction on her home began quickly thereafter.

She is projected to move into her new home in February. Currently living at Windy Hill with her six-year-old son, Ms. Washington is delighted about the prospect of owning her own home, but, she admits, her son may be even more excited than she is, because "his best friend lives right next door."

It is hard to miss the pride in Ms. Washington's voice as she describes the layout of her future home – three bedrooms, one and a half baths, laundry and coat closets, living room, dining room, kitchen, and, "thank goodness," she says, no basement. She already has plans to paint all the walls and decorate with wallpaper, all of which she will do "definitely before moving any furniture."

But becoming the owner of a Habitat house is not all paint samples and decorating ideas, nor is Ms. Washington getting her house for free.

Habitat homeowners are able to buy their house at cost (in Loudoun County, around $115,000) and are given a 30-year interest-free loan. So, Ms. Washington will have a mortgage, although it will be significantly less burdensome than would be most any other rent or house payment. In an area where the average house sells for $474,000, Ms. Washington – like all other Loudoun Habitat homeowners – is getting a great deal.

Ms. Washington underwent a rigorous application process. In order to own her home, she will have to have put in 350 "sweat equity" hours by the time she moves in. This means helping with construction every Saturday, attending classes, assisting committees, and participating in Habitat events such as fundraisers and community outreach. Those 350 hours represent one of three main criteria for home owner eligibility – willingness and ability to partner with Habitat on the creation of the home.

Ability to Pay

The other two criteria are need and ability to pay. These may seem contradictory; how would someone who needs a home have the ability to pay for it if they can't do so already? But Habitat's need scale is based on family size and income (there are certain ranges within which applicants must fall), and Habitat's version of someone's ability to pay is based on the steadiness of the applicant's income.

As long as the applicant has a good credit history and a steady income, the applicant is considered to have the ability to pay. Two other important eligibility caveats are: the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, and the applicant must have lived or worked in Loudoun County for at least twelve months at the time of application.

Habitat houses are built completely with volunteer labor, and one super-volunteer is Bud Green, who chairs the construction committee. Kanis praises him for "making sure the houses go up as quickly as they possibly can."

It is Mr. Green whom Ms. Washington works with on those Saturdays when she is literally building the foundation of her home. She says that although the work can be tiring, "it is a lot of fun and rewarding, too."

Habitat for Humanity of Loudoun is always looking for people who wish to invest time and money in the homebuilding process.

Jack Kemp, former U.S. Congressman from Western New York, former Vice Presidential candidate in 1996, and former HUD Secretary, is currently the chair of the global effort dubbed "More Than Houses" by Habitat for Humanity. Speaking on November 8 at Foxcroft School in support of the St. Louis Habitat build, he remarked on the importance of affordable housing in an affluent county such as Loudoun.

Royal Visit

Kemp illustrated his comments with the inspirational story of Alice Frazier, an elderly woman living in Washington, D.C. who bought a house through Habitat. Fifteen years ago, when the Queen of England visited D.C., she wanted to meet Mrs. Frazier, who had made something of a media splash with her community efforts to fight drugs in her Southeast neighborhood.

Despite all rules Mrs. Frazier had been told to follow regarding royal protocol, when she saw Queen Elizabeth walking up the steps of her modest Habitat-built home, she rushed down the steps and enveloped the Queen in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground in the process.

Later, when asked why she hugged the Queen in such an inappropriate way, Mrs. Frazier said she had gotten excited because, "I wanted to show her my palace."