SHELBY CO. — Habitat for Humanity needs help to finish construction on two homes in Shelby County. One of the houses that still sits as a construction site is set to be the home to a mother and her three children.
Breanna Miller, a Habitat for Humanity Home Recipient, says it's a common misconception that people who receive homes from Habitat for humanity are just given a free house. But she knows first hand that's not the case.
"You have to work; you have to put in the effort - you're not getting a home to rent, this will be your forever home," Miller said. "This is your mortgage, and this is your homeownership, this is yours."
Two years ago, Miller was homeless, pregnant with twins and not sure where to turn. That's when she applied for habitat's homeownership program.
Typically only one home is built a year, but when Miller found out another mother had been selected Habitat informed her they also had enough money to make a house for her.
"I made a grown man cry because I stood there and cried myself," Miller said.
Habitat selects families based on the level of need — their ability to repay a mortgage through a payment plan and their willingness to partner with their group.
Throughout the school year, students with the Blue River Career Center help build the homes.
"That's what interests the kids; being out on the job site, being out in the weather, climbing around on step ladder in construction, and being in the attic and doing the different things," Dan Bramell, a construction trades instructor, said. "There are a lot of skills to be learned there."
Although, when students get out of school in May, there is still a need for volunteers on Miller's home and other projects in the future.
"I need people to come out, and not just donate money or goods, just your time," Miller said. "Just come in and say, 'what can I help with?' If you know how to push a paintbrush up and down - there you go, you're helping."
For more information on the Shelby County Habitat for Humanity, click here.
If you are interested in volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in Shelby County you can email your interest to habitatshelbycounty@gmail.com.
