Habitat for Humanity of Dalton-Whitfield & Murray builds affordable housing in the Greater Dalton area.
For the past 19 years it has focused its efforts on Kirk Estates, which is off of West Ezzard Avenue in Dalton, for those in need of housing. Kirk Estates is named after the late Gene Kirk, one of Habitat’s founders locally and the first Habitat builder in Whitfield County.
“We have two lots left (in Kirk Estates),” said Elise Perez, executive director of the group. “We just closed on one of them. Now, we are breaking ground for our final house. So the biggest thing we have to worry about is land. We need to acquire more land.”
“We were lucky to be given land in the city,” she said. “But we don’t know if that will happen again. We are probably going to be looking for land in the county. But then we have to worry about sewer. The city has sewer. That’s not the case everywhere in the county. It saves us so much money not to have to do septic.”
Habitat is a nonprofit organization funded partly by donations and partly by sales from its ReStore at 2303 Chattanooga Road in Dalton. The ReStore accepts new and gently-used household items, which workers resell at a “substantially reduced cost,” according to a press release from the organization.
“A shopper might find cabinetry, appliances, flooring, lighting fixtures, windows and plenty of other household items at a steal,” Perez said. “All proceeds are then used to build homes, keep the lights on at the ReStore and pay salaries.”
The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners and Dalton Utilities are working on projects that would extend sewer north along Cleveland Highway, to Westside Park and south to the area around the Carbondale interchange.
“Right now, we are focused on our next build,” Perez said. “Only when that is complete will we start thinking about those things (more land). It takes 18 to 20 months to go from breaking ground to the new owner moving in because this is all volunteer labor and the homeowner has to help build. Then, we have to build up funding, so realistically, we are looking at three-and-a-half to four years before we buy land.”
Perez said they will be opening applications for the final house in Kirk Estates in May.
To apply, a person has to have lived and worked in the Greater Dalton area for at least two years.
“You have to show a need,” Perez said. “That could be that you are living in an apartment you just can’t afford or in a place with mold or safety hazards or you’ve got five people living in a one-bedroom place. You can’t have a criminal record. No outstanding loans.”
“To qualify for a Habitat home, you have to agree to contribute at least 350 hours to your build,” she said. “There’s a $2,500 down payment for closing costs. We lend you the money at zero percent interest, but you do have a mortgage to repay.”
To find out more about Habitat for Humanity, go to https://www.habitatdwm.org.