DAPHNE — At the end of a quiet lane in Daphne sits a brand-new home. For Danielle Peterson and her almost 8-year-old son, Colton, the home is the fulfillment of their American dream and a lot …
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DAPHNE — At the end of a quiet lane in Daphne sits a brand-new home. For Danielle Peterson and her almost 8-year-old son, Colton, the home is the fulfillment of their American dream and a lot of hard work.
Over the past year, Peterson has gone through the process of getting "mortgage ready" with the help of Habitat for Humanity Baldwin County. On Friday, June 28, Habitat for Humanity of Baldwin County held an open house and home dedication for Peterson. The living room was filled with folding chairs full of friends and family. A table full of delicious-smelling food welcomed guests.
"I would say the process was very, very easy," Peterson said. "The Habitat family was very helpful and provided the knowledge I needed to get to where I am today with this Habitat home. They have all kinds of financing classes and first-time home classes. They really get you mortgage ready and set up for success."
The process Peterson went through consisted of applying for and being accepted into the Habitat for Humanity program, two 30-minute classes a month and accumulating at least 200 volunteer hours. The classes and hard work put her in the position to purchase her first home from Habitat for Humanity of Baldwin County.
The three-bedroom and two-bathroom home has a large backyard and spacious bedrooms. Colton said he is looking forward to playing in his room and backyard. Now that Peterson holds the keys to her own home, she plans to take time to get moved in and settled before school starts.
When asked how she was feeling standing at her front door with keys in hand, Peterson smiled.
"So grateful and blessed. I thank God that everything just went through for me. I thank the Habitat Foundation for helping me with this and everyone who donated toward the Habitat Foundation," she said. "And thanks to my family for all the support and love. I am very overwhelmed with joy."
Representatives from Habitat for Humanity Baldwin County, Aaron Gonzalez, administrative specialist, and Chad Kern, construction manager, were on hand to help Peterson celebrate and answer questions about what Habitat for Humanity does.
Gonzalez said many people do not fully understand the services the organization offers.
"We have a Homeownership Program and the idea behind it is to help families or individuals become what we call mortgage-ready," Gonzalez explained. "We help them with their budgeting, with their credit counseling, we have one-on-one coaching that helps them get to the point where they can be on their feet now and afford a mortgage by the end of the month. Some people don't have either the know-how or the discipline to do so. We help with that."
Once individuals in the Homeownership Program have completed the program, they can purchase a home from Habitat for Humanity. The lot Peterson's home sits on was once a massive vacant lot. With the help of the City of Daphne, Habitat was able to have the lot divided into two and they built two homes. The home next door to Peterson's will be complete in about a month.
A service offered by Habitat that is underutilized, according to Gonzalez, is the Home Repair program.
"Another thing we do is repair. If it is considered a health risk or if it's a safety concern, not only do we do an assessment on the individual and what they can afford to have done, but we also do an assessment on the home to see what needs to be done and the scope of work," Gonzalez said. "If we can't do it all, we try to see if we can help with at least some."
For those with accessibility issues in their home, Habitat for Humanity can also help.
"I don't think we get a lot of questions because people don't know to ask us. People don't know to ask Habitat for Humanity if their roof is leaking or they need a ramp into their home," Gonzalez said.
Kern and Gonzalez said Habitat has a large network of trusted and vetted local contractors and subcontractors that not only assist with home builds but with repairs to people's homes. People can call Habitat for Humanity of Baldwin County for help with what repairs need to be done to their homes and what they can afford to have completed.
Habitat for Humanity of Baldwin County is also always on the hunt for affordable vacant lots. As prices soar in the area, affordable building lots are becoming harder to find. The organization also accepts land donations.
"The way we help with repairs or homeownership is very specific," Gonzalez said, "but I believe there's a lot of people we could help if they just knew to call us."
