Habitat for Humanity provides new homes for the holidays

Wrapping up more than a year of construction, Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley held a dedication ceremony Dec. 1 for three homes recently completed on School Addition Road in Somers.

Holding a heart cut from solid insulation given to her by the project’s volunteers, new homeowner Lydia Puryer spoke of the great distance they came to work and teach construction skills over the past 14 months.

“It was pretty cool to be a part of every step, to meet our lovely neighbors,” she said.

Her husband, Steven Puryer, echoed that sentiment.

“The way they walk you through it, it feels like family. I’ve completely changed from a year and a half ago,” Steven Puryer told the audience of volunteers and Habitat for Humanity staff. The young children of the trio of families benefiting from the effort roamed the open center of the bare living room and kitchen, where plumbing work finished up just moments beforehand. 

All of the new homeowners expressed gratitude for the help of the volunteers — who put in extra effort to have the homes ready in time for the holidays — and the open arms of the community at large. Even the shelves were set to be stocked with food from the West Shore Food Bank.

Shanell Berkey clutched the hand of her young son Alex, saying, “I still have a hard time believing I will be a homeowner, and my son and I will have a beautiful safe place to come home to everyday, a place that is ours.”

According to MaryBeth Morand, executive director of the Habitat for Humanity of the Flathead Valley, the journey from applicant to Habitat homeowner requires elbow grease. It involves making a personal statement, gathering the sum required for a down payment and closing costs, committing to at least eight hours a week assisting skilled volunteers in construction, and often living nearby in short-term, difficult situations throughout the process. 

“Before I started, I had no idea how to build a house,” said Steven Puryer. “It was pretty cool to be a part of every step.”

After getting settled, Morand hopes the families will continue to be ambassadors and volunteers for the group’s mission.

The homes are not given away. As the philosophy of Habitat For Humanity goes, “We give a hand up, not a handout.” 

Instead the houses will be mortgaged for 30 years at a locked 2% rate. A separate mortgage on the land acts as a safeguard from any part of the property being sold before the tenants have covered the cost of the home mortgage. Once that’s paid off, the land mortgage is forgiven.

Habitat’s system protects the land value and what Morand calls the “sweat equity” of the volunteers in order to keep costs down.

Matt Venturini, president of the local Habitat chapter’s board of directors, told the audience at the dedication that “everything counts toward these houses, donations, the thrift stores, the volunteer labor.” 

Habitat also considers the lots they purchase for length of commute, and proximity to schools and services. Houses are built as compactly as possible — the newly-finished homes in Somers are roughly 1,700 square feet to accommodate rooms for children — and with the highest amount of insulation to keep down the cost of monthly utility bills. 

Chuck James of Whitefish, 68, who is six years retired after 40 years in construction, described working with Habitat as “more rewarding than I thought it could be.” 

“People want affordable housing,” James said. “We’re doing something about it.”

To date, the group has built 71 houses in the Flathead Valley, averaging three per year. The nonprofit has brought on Americorps volunteers, created a position for a new construction site supervisor and is looking to upgrade volunteer positions to supervisory roles.  

Morand said that she would like to collaborate with area land trusts and build the volunteer base at all levels to keep a pool of affordable houses in the valley built by the people who live in it. “What we want are people who are really going to be here and really take care of the Flathead,” she said.

Reporter Carl Foster can be reached at cfoster@dailyinterlake.com.

    Habitat for Humanity Flathead Valley executive director MaryBeth Morand reads a poem during a home dedication celebration in Somers on Friday, Dec. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Steven and Lydia Puryer's home in Somers after a Habitat for Humanity Home Dedication celebration on Friday, Dec. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider