Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Day 6 - Sumter Build Day

Today we worked on building two houses with Sumter Habitat for Humanity. On one house we installed all of the singles and on the other we started vinyl siding. Working here was special to me because this specific site is where I put in my sweat equity hours that were required before Bike & Build. In fact, I interviewed the two homeowners and got to know them a little bit during the month prior to leaving for Charleston. Below are the transcripts of the interviews that I was required to submit to Bike & Build.

These are (part of) the two families that I met and built with/for. Pictured left is Vaneza Williams. On the right is Shikia Singleton with her oldest son Shikeem.
Singleton Family

Can you tell me your name, age, where you’re from?
I’m Shikia Singleton. I’m 28. I have 2 sons: Shikeem and Shiquest Singleton, 12 and 6 years old. We are from Sumter, SC.

What do you do?
I work for the Disability and Special Needs Board for Sumter. I have worked there for 8 years. I love my job. I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

What is your current residence and home life like?
I am currently renting. I live in a trailer park in Dalzell. It’s like the country part of Sumter. It’s quiet. I stay to myself so I don’t have any problems with my neighbors or anything like that but I want to be a homeowner.

If Habitat did not exist would owning a home be a possibility for you?
I’ll say yes, in a way, if I were to lean on my own understanding. But no, too, because I just currently started going to church and they are teaching me about faith and stuff like that so I’m depending on my faith, not just my own understanding.

Did you apply to any other programs before Habitat?
No, I did apply for Habitat one time and I was turned down. I only had one child at the time. And I forgot why I was denied.

What was that like being turned down and then reapplying?
It was a faith thing. I actually went to the last meeting of Habitat in December. And they called me back in January.

What is the condition of your residence now compared to what this house is going to be like?
I know that this particular home that we are building is more safe. I can feel the wind coming in in different parts of the other house. Seeing how this is done, I feel that they should have made sure that it was done in the home that I’m in now. I feel wind coming through the door.

As a whole, how will having this house impact your life?
For one this is a blessing for me and my family. This can also build their faith to become a homeowner. They aren’t staying in my house all their lives. Just keeping faith in God, that He can make a way. Even when things may seem bad to us everything can still work out for our good. Not just for our good, but for the good. I also want to go back to school but I just have so much going on. Once this gets situated I can start back schooling because I want to have my own assisted living home. That would be cool. I’d be the boss!

What’s the first thing that you’re going to do in this new home?
Praise God. He helped me get it so that will be the very first thing that I do. It has not hit me yet that I’m going to be a homeowner. But I know that I’m blessed and I’m favored.

Williams Family

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself: your name, age, what you do, and where you’re from?
My name is Vaneza Williams. I am 42 years old and I was born and raised in Sumter, South Carolina. I’m currently employed with Sumter School Districts here in Sumter, SC. I am the assistant manager in food service tech. And I also work at Wal-Mart Supercenter as a sales representative. I have 2 children. I have a daughter and a son.

Before you applied for Habitat did you apply to any other programs, either through the government or another non-profit?
I had looked into the HUD organization at one point in time. It’s a good organization, don’t get me wrong or anything but some of the homes are built in the areas that aren’t quite safe enough for my family. And then I heard about Habitat and it’s a wonderful Christian organization. I like the area that they put us in because they want us to be safe and comfortable in our homes. Habitat is a very good program. I’m glad that I got in contact with this program.

What has your life been life previous to owning a home?
Before owning a home, I was a renter for forever. I’m so overwhelmed that now, out of 5 kids I’m the first one to become a homeowner. Now I can see where my money goes. I work hard and I want to have something. Obviously this is my foundation. This is where I want my family and I live happily and comfortably. It’s a dream of mine that has finally come true.

Was it hard finding a place to rent that was affordable but also safe and in a safe area?
The area that I currently live in is a rental complex. It was nice when we first moved out there but now a lot of the riffraff has come in so that’s why I said it’s time for me to do something different. It’s time for me to make a change because if I were to continue staying there I would never see where my hard work is going. I’m taking a giant step. Now I’m comfortable and I’m happy. I can have a front yard and a back yard now other than just 16 stairs to go up and 16 stairs to come back down. Now I can sit on my porch and feel safe and enjoy the air.

If Habitat did not exist, would owning a home be a possibility for you?
If Habitat wasn’t around I think at some point it could have been. But it just would have been harder for me.

What is the condition of the apartment that you are living in now?
The apartment is okay by itself. But the residents and the place as a whole is gradually going down. When I first moved out there they had water sprinklers and they had more security. Now it is just going down.

How will owning a home impact your life?
All around owning a home will affect my job, my safety and my finances. What I like about Habitat is they build brand new homes and they’re affordable. It doesn’t put a strain or a stress on you so that’s why this program is great. I feel like I made the right decision.

In what ways will owning a home help you emotionally and spiritually?
There are plenty of days I just cried and thanked God. I got on my knees and thanked him every day because without Him I could not have done it. Like they say, “All things come to those who wait”. I feel a sense of pressure has been relieved. Now that I work 2 jobs I can come home and just rest. I’m able to breathe again.

Will you still be working 2 jobs when you live here?
Yes. For now as long as I have my health and strength, yes.

What’s the first thing that you’re going to do in your new home when you move in?
First thing I’m going to do is get my house blessed. I’m going to have my pastor come over and bless my house. I’m going to have a house warming party and show everybody my hard work. I’m going to show them that anybody can do it. It’s a blessing. Ask and you shall receive, you know?

I decided I needed to take a "Charlie's Angel" type picture with Erin on the site. I think the heat exhaustion is to blame. At least that's the story I'm sticking to. 
A few of us did some exploring after dinner tonight. Originally we were try to go to Swan Lake which is apparently the only public lake in the country where you can see all 8 species of swan. Unfortunately the park was closed. Fortunately I had seen a sign for Bingo on the way to the park. I convinced my group to check it out with me and it appeared to be a popular event for the locals. We went back to the host church, got some bike lights and some more people and went to have some good ole backcountry fun. On the first round, Erin won $499! It was thrilling...and unbelievable. I'm pretty sure everyone thought we were super obnoxious, but it was totally worth it. I have a feeling that spontaneous things like showing up at local Bingo night in a random town are what's going to make this trip over the top.

Marine, Abbie, Erin, Katie, Molly and I gearing up for Bingo night!
The Catty Corner: Erin and I took a trip to CVS and because of genius advertising I decided I needed to buy the new "birthday cake" M&M's. We started eating them on the walk back. I ended up ranting because these M&M's didn't taste like birthday cake at all! They tasted like regular M&M's. It's not fair that they can trick me into buying their candy like that, right? Well, then Erin asks me if I've come up with a Catty Corner for the day and out of frustration I throw my hands up (literally) because I can't think of one. The M&M's spilled everywhere and so I started to pick them up. Somehow, though, Erin and I ended up sitting on the sidewalk, picking up and eating fake flavored M&M's.

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