Habitat hands over keys to its 102nd family, eyes many more

Su Meyoh, Mu Aye and their family of eight waited four years for a home of their own.

Thei patience was rewarded Saturday when the family became the 102nd to purchase a home through Tri-County Partners Habitat for Humanity.

The family’s tidy new house on East Adelia Court backs up to Highlands Park in east Pasco. It is the eight Habitat home for the Whitehouse addition and more are on the way.

The newest neighbors arrived in Pasco about seven years ago from a Burmese refugee camp in Thailand. Su Meyoh, speaking through the couple’s eldest son, wanted a home for his eight-member family. He thanked the community and God for their generosity.

Habitat For Humanity calls their home “the insurance build,” reflecting an expiremental approach to marshaling support in the community. Habitat secured help from 15 local insurance companies to complete the plain but well-equipped home with four bedrooms, a broad front porch and killer access to the busy ball fields of Highland Park over the back fence.

Habitat dedicated the home Saturday in the midst of a building blitz. The nonprofit has always relied on donations of time and money to deliver simple, safe and affordable housing to low-income families.

Saturday was no exception.

While the new homeowners arranged food for their guests on tables in the single-car garage and sidestepped the dozens of friends and neighbors touring their still-empty abode, volunteers from paint chain Sherwin-Williams were putting the finishing blue touches on another Habitat home under construction two doors down.

Sherwin-Williams workers donated time and materials to celebrate “National Painting Week,” which continues through May 29 with service projects at nonprofits, churches, schools and other community organizations.

Habitat is making plans to break ground on new homes in Kennewick, but the Whitehouse addition is its primary focus for the next two or so years.

Habitat used a federal grant to acquire the 24 home sites at Whitehouse and to install infrastructure. Lisa Godwin, executive director, said the grant includes a 2019 deadline to complete construction.

To make that happen, the local chapter is raising $2 million to pay the hard cost of building homes on the remaining sites. Contributions may be made at habitatbuilds.com/donate

A typical Habitat home costs $90,000 to construct, which includes land, construction materials, utility connections and any paid labor that augments the volunteers.

Its homes typically appraise for about $130,000, but the agency sells them to their partner families at a price they can afford, along with an interest-free mortgage.

Families must contribute at least 500 hours of volunteer sweat equity to qualify for a home.

Habitat serves families with incomes ranging up to $40,080 for a family of four in the Tri-Cities.

This story was originally published May 20, 2017 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Habitat hands over keys to its 102nd family, eyes many more."