The support of the community got Pamela Smith to where she is today – a new James City County homeowner – and Smith has pledged to give back to those who made it possible.
Gratitude rang throughout a ceremony Monday in a neighborhood off Richmond Road, where the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity organized the building of five new houses. Smith’s family and four others received the keys to their homes, four on Benefit Lane and one on Forest Heights Road, thanks to the support of companies, organizations and individuals who pledged time, money and manpower.
“Five homes, five families, numerous sponsors – all in one beautiful community,” said Ché Henderson, board president for Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg.
For Smith, homeownership has been a dream for years, but one with many obstacles: A single mom, Smith had to provide for her two children, including daughter Markisha Jones, who was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
With a new home to call her own – and a slew of Ivy League acceptances paving a bright future for Warhill High student Markisha – Smith said she wants to find a way to help others in the area.
“It means everything to me,” she told WYDaily. “It has opened my eyes to how we should give back to the community.”
Although the Habitat for Humanity usually puts its efforts toward building one or two houses at a time, Henderson said local support allowed it to accomplish this expansive feat.
Partners included Anheuser-Busch, which left some of its beverages for the of-age residents to celebrate their new spaces, and Bruton Parish Episcopal Church, which got on board as part of the 300th anniversary of its historic building.
“When this opportunity presented itself, to share a home … it seemed like the perfect fit for us,” said Bruton Parish’s Rev. Christopher L. Epperson, who said the church has been a home for the Williamsburg community so the parish wanted to find a way to give back.
The new homes are the latest in an ongoing effort to improve that neighborhood of James City County, located off Richmond Road between Lightfoot and the Premium Outlets.
In a multi-year, $3.9 million project completed in April, the county paved and widened the previously dirt road, installed a sidewalk, moved mailboxes from Richmond Road to the fronts of homes and added Benefit Lane to connect Forest Heights Road with Neighbors Drive. The task included building a new home for one resident whose house was in the way of the widening, and transporting another house one lot over, all before the work on the five Habitat for Humanity properties got started in May.
Habitat for Humanity seeks to give residents a hand up, not a handout, Henderson said to the crowd of more than 200 people that gathered for a dedication ceremony.
The program is designed for those who cannot afford a traditional mortgage, with families purchasing the homes from Habitat for Humanity which puts the funds back toward its housing initiatives. Each homeowner was also required to log a number of hours of “sweat equity” – working on the build or at one of the nonprofit’s ReStores, where new and gently furnishings and housing supplies are sold to support projects – in addition to meeting certain credit and income criteria before earning a 30-year mortgage no interest.
Dignitaries at Monday’s dedication ceremony pointed to the difficulty of affordable housing in the area.
Del. Monty Mason (D-93) referenced a WYDaily article that was published that day, which said low wages earned by some residents – those working in retail, accommodation or food service – are often not enough to afford the average rent, $1,162 per month, according to information from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
James City County Supervisor Kevin Onizuk (Jamestown) said he sees the struggle to find affordable housing in his work in the mortgage industry. He told the crowd the county’s goal is to allow those who work there to be able to live there as well.
“If it wasn’t for this program, I probably wouldn’t have been able to afford a home here in Williamsburg,” said LaKeisha Cowles, one of the new homeowners.
Mason and Onizuk charged the audience at the dedication ceremony to look at the long list of supporters on the backs of their programs, and to patronize the businesses who made service a priority. See a roster of local Habitat for Humanity sponsors here.
In his remarks, U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-1) said a spirit of collaboration, between builders, homeowners and partners, is what makes the community great.
“Today, differences have been made on people’s lives by scores,” he said, adding this long-lasting work shows what the community sees as a need and how it rises to assure needs are met.
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