Two families put sweat equity into new Molalla homes | OregonLive ...

The North Willamette Valley Habitat for Humanity recently completed a buildathon, raising $21,000 of $25,000 for two new houses they're building for families in Molalla.

The eight-day event ended with a ceremony in which the two families wrote kind words and blessings on wood that would end up in each other's homes. They also had a ceremonial raising of the final wall for the first house, where the Beteran family will live.

The Beteran family includes Luciano and Juana and their three girls, Lizbeth, 9, Paulina, 7 and Stephanie, 6.

The second family, the Slates, consists of Becky, Charley and their son, Chaz, who's 2. Their house is still being built.

The Beterans' home will be across the street from the Rev. Carlos Flores, the family's pastor at Oregon City's Grand View Baptist Church.

"It was quite a coincidence," Flores said. "At church, someone came up to me and said that one of my church members was going to have a house built right in my neighborhood." Flores said the opening prayer at the ceremony.

Luciano and Juana Beteran spent many hours helping build their house, which the girls had been dreaming about.

According to Habitat, "Lizbeth, Paulina, and Stephanie may only be 9, 7 and 6 years old, but they already know what it means to dream of owning a home of their own. The Beteran family was watching a home rehab show and the girls asked their dad why they couldn't have a house like the one on TV. Luciano had to tell them that the family couldn't afford to own a home. The girls decided if they wanted a house, they were going to help save for it."

During a visit to their new home site, the girls offered two jars of quarters totaling more than $100 that they had saved to pitch in.

Each family is required to put in 500 hours of sweat equity, 250 of which can be donated from friends, family or the community.

Juana Beteran said with a smile that everyone will decide on the color of the house. "There's too many different colors. I can't decide now," she explained. Then she pointed over to Flores' house and said, "I like those colors (beige and burgundy), but I want to have something different."

She spoke through an interpreter, Meghan O'Callaghan, Habitat's volunteer and family specialist. O'Callaghan was the one who told the Beterans they'd been accepted into the program.

About her job, O'Callaghan said, "I love it. I absolutely love it. It's a treat to work with the families."

Becky Slate was beside herself when she got the call from O'Callaghan that her family would be part of the program.

"I stood there on the phone, and I cried, and I laughed. I was just so happy. And poor Chaz didn't know what to think of me, so he just started laughing, too."

She added, "Ten minutes before that phone call, I was talking to Pastor Pam (Gurley, at United Methodist Church in Molalla) and we were literally praying for good news. Ten minutes."

The Slates worked on the Beteran house. The nonprofit expected to receive permits Friday, Aug. 17 to start the Slates' house. In the meantime, the family was able to earn sweat-equity hours by working on other Habitat homes, O'Callaghan said.

"We don't require that they work on another family's house, but we love it when they help out each other," she said.

Katy Zilverberg, Habitat's resources development director, and O'Callaghan agreed that Molalla was a particularly generous community. Zilverberg said Molalla businesses especially stepped up.

"I've been doing this for two years. Just last weekend we needed some ice. I said, 'Hey Lynn (director of Molalla Communities That Care), we need some ice, where's a good place?' She sent me to Titanic Ice, I told them Lynn sent me, and they handed me a 40-pound bag of ice, no receipt, no questions asked. This is our first time here and the response from people, organizations, and businesses has been overwhelming."

Zilverberg stressed that the houses aren't given away. Participants get zero-interest loans and the payment won't exceed 30 percent of their gross monthly income, but families who take on this opportunity earn it, she said.

"They are actually buying the house. We check their credit scores, income record and they have to demonstrate financial responsibility," Zilverberg said. She added, "It's really for families who are ready for that next step (to ownership), but they just need a little help."

One volunteer, Alicia Levine, valued her experience. "I learned a lot. At the end when I realized that this family was going to walk through the door in a completed home, it hit me. It's beautiful. Everyone should have that."

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2012/08/two_families_put_sweat_equity.html

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