Newsletter - Fall 2000

Habitat’s Newest Family

Our newest Partner Family consists of Hal Lefferts, his wife Terre, and their sons Ian, Gabriel, and Donovan. Hal is a singer-songwriter, known locally as music director for WKZE radio in Sharon. Terre is an artist and a dance teacher. The three boys attend Salisbury Central School, and the family has been involved in various community activities. Thirty years ago, when Hal was, as he describes it, "a young, idealistic hippy," he worked on a commune in Americus, Georgia-the same commune whose building of homes for families who could not afford their own homes helped inspire Millard Fuller to start Habitat for Humanity. The Lefferts family will help to build, and then move into, a Habitat home on the Selleck Hill Road lot donated to Habitat by Mrs. Sally Ellsworth.

How We Select Our Partner Families

Each time we begin to build a Habitat house in one of the seven towns in Connecticut’s Northwest Corner, we also begin the process to choose the family who will become our next Partner Family. The process is managed by our Family Selection Committee (FSC), which is composed of six Board members as well as the head of one of our current Partner families. The FSC follows guidelines set forth by Habitat for Humanity International. These guidelines are centered on three considerations:
  • Affordability
  • Need for Adequate Shelter
  • Willingness to Partner
Affordability
To be eligible for consideration, a family must earn enough income to afford a Habitat mortgage but less than the amount needed to qualify for a conventional mortgage. In the last selection process, we used a range of $20,000 to $40,400 for a family of four, adjusting this range up and down for larger and smaller families. The affordability range is reset each time we start a house, depending on then-current economic conditions.The low end of the affordability range is determined using typical affordability guidelines such as those published by the Housing and Urban Development Administration and Fannie Mae. The high end of the range was set referencing Fannie Mae’s guidelines for affordability for conventional mortgages. A second source is the median income level for Litchfield County. As a practical matter, we rarely use the high end of the range since enough of our applicants fall toward the lower end of the range. To determine which of the applicants fit our criteria, we ask them to submit a good deal of financial information. We also conduct a credit check and we study the applicants’ debt-to-income ratios. The partner family must have a reasonable credit history, though Habitat recognizes that families applying for Habitat homes may have faced difficult situations that have affected their credit ratings.

Need for Adequate Shelter
Next, we consider the conditions of the applicant’s current housing situation. This includes whether the family lives in housing in adequate condition. In the Northwest Corner, with the few rental properties available only at high rents, an important issue is whether the family can find housing large enough for the family’s size at rents that can be afforded.

Willingness to Partner
The long-term relationship Habitat undertakes with its Partner Families involves significant responsibilities on the part of the Partners. They must participate in the building of their house through "sweat equity;" they will be paying us a mortgage for 25 to 30 years; and we hope that they will be contributing members of their communities.Therefore, during the selection process, we seek families who will live up to these responsibilities. We review how complete/timely the applications submitted are, how cooperative the family is, and how well they appear to understand our sweat equity requirements. Also important is the quality of applicant family’s relationships with their prior landlords.

Timeline
Our process begins with the announcement that we are open to receive applications that we have published in the local newspapers. Local churches, other religious organizations, and social workers also help us to reach out to the greatest number of possible applicants. Because we build about one house a year but have many applicants, families who have applied before, but have been unsuccessful, may re-apply.We set a deadline for receipt of the applications. We do not open the applications before this date, nor do we accept applications after this date. Fair Credit rules require that we make our decision within 30 days of the opening of the applications, and we adhere to these rules. We chose three to five families using our selection criteria. We then interview these families in their homes. Finally settling on one family, the Committee then recommends it to the Board of Directors, which has final approval responsibility. That night, we have the happy task of calling the chosen Partner Family and telling them the good news.
By Sharon Olsen and Liz Gall
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

This past year has been satisfying for our affiliate. We brought our third house to a successful closure with a heartwarming dedication ceremony held on July 16, 2000. The Bartomioli family joined our Board and other volunteers in celebrating the completion of their house. Many Board members participated in this ceremony which was greatly enhanced by a special ritual of Consecration of the House which was performed by one Board member, Rev. Gwen Hazleton of Falls Village. A very important addition to this afternoon was the singing of Hal Lefferts and this is typical of the continuity, which Habitat for Humanity strives for because Hal and his family are our next partners. Immediately after the finishing of the Sand Road house, work began on the next house to be built on Selleck Hill Road in Salisbury. Mrs. Sally Ellsworth generously gave the land for this house to Habitat. This is the house that the Lefferts are partnering with us. Our treasury has been greatly enhanced by the extraordinary work done by John Pogue, our fund-raiser. We had both an extremely successful tag sale in August followed almost immediately by performances of Iolanthe. John’s efforts were aided by the fact that almost the entire Board of Directors was personally involved in these fund raising events. This willingness to help with all kinds of work that need to be done makes this Board a pleasure for me to work with as President.
Rosemary Farnsworth, President
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FUNDRAISING REPORT

This past year has proved to be our most successful in terms of financial results and volunteer participation because of two blockbuster events. Our Annual Tag Sale has become one of the area’s largest, thanks to our energetic committee headed by Kathy Mera and Judi Moore. This year we received extraordinary help from Nick Collin, Anne Cornwall, Tom Gage, Elizabeth Fitch, and Paul Leka who helped with the cleanup. For the first time our hours were expanded with a Friday night reception and Sunday bag sale. The Sharon Woman’s Club provided sensational hors d’oeuvres Friday night. Our extra efforts were richly rewarded with a doubling of last year’s results. Plans are underway to expand our storage capacity and possibly to add a retail outlet. If you have items to donate (other than clothing) we’d love to talk: we are always seeking good, used appliances. Once again, St. Joseph’s Bittermann Center was the perfect location for the sale and we are extremely grateful to the parish for providing it.

For our second major event, we joined with the Light Opera Company of Salisbury to produce Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe at the Walker Auditorium over Labor Day weekend. The show was beautifully presented to large and enthusiastic audiences. LOCOS provided the artistic component, while Habitat did some of the "leg" work. Artistic Director Georgia McEver, and Administrative Director Sharon Keene of LOCOS, deserve compliments for their efforts. Habitat’s Board of Directors was active as ushers and in serving refreshments supplied by Domaney’s in Great Barrington. Sally Gevalt supplied the event with beautiful flower arrangements.

Our last scheduled event of this year will be our Annual Family Skating Party, Friday November 24th, at Salisbury School from 1:15 to 3:00. Expected donation is $2 for children and $3 for adults.

A totally new source of contributions has come to us in the form of memorial gifts totaling more than one thousand dollars. In three instances this year, Habitat was named in death notices as the organization to receive contributions. We commend these families for furthering our work in this lasting way.

Next year promises to be productive. Besides our Tag Sale, we will repeat our Summer Wine Tasting, for which Sally Gevalt has again graciously offered her wonderful grounds, and for which Joe Mulligan of the Salisbury Package Store will skillfully conduct the tasting. We would also like to offer a Dinner Party in the fall. We are grateful to you, our donors, for making this year so special.
John Pogue, Fundraising Chairman
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Site Selection Committee Report

Following the generous offer of Sally Ellsworth to cut off a lot for Habitat from her property on Selleck Hill Road in Salisbury, the Site Committee was busy with surveys, perc tests and subdivision approval work for this lot. Thanks again to Lamb-Kiefer Surveyors and to Ralph Stanton, Soil Scientist, for their help. Since the lot is on a beloved scenic road, to reduce the impact of our house Habitat will leave a vegetative buffer between the house and the road. Attention potential donors: If you would consider cutting a lot for Habitat, we would be happy to discuss the most suitable location for the house. Norfolk, Canaan, and Sharon are towns where we would particularly like to acquire land, since those towns are in our service area, but we have not yet been able to build houses in them. The Site Committee is now focusing on possible future uses for land on Lime Rock Station Road in Falls Village.
George Massey, Chairman
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Kitty Benedict Reports

Happily, these days, Habitat is a growing organization, bursting with energy, and with volunteers who do everything from the routine to the unusual. Take Nick Collin and Anne Cornwall of the Salisbury Antiques Center, for example. "I’m not good at handing out money," Nick stated recently. "Habitat is a very good concept and cause, and since I have something I can help with, I’m happy." Anne agrees. What these two entrepreneurs do for Habitat is provide their expertise in appraising objects, including furniture, paintings, silver, glass, china, etc., for the Annual Habitat Tag Sale. Using the knowledge they have acquired in decades of being in the business of restoring and selling antiques, Nick and Anne see to it that articles that might have been sold for low value are now able to generate more income for the cause.

Recently, at a preview of the sale, Nick saw a table priced at $4; he whisked it off to his store, and after replacing a leg and rejuvenating its "tired finish," returned it to the sale, where it fetched more than $100. Some wooden frames that Nick and Anne spotted also struck them as worth quite a bit more than the listed amount; they raised the asking price, then bought the frames for themselves.

In addition to having made the suggestion that promising pieces at the Habitat sale be taken to his store for "quick spiff" refurbishing, Nick also offered another good idea. If an item of value has not sold at the sale, or if it is more than a run-of-the-mill item, Habitat can leave it on the sales floor of his store for sale at any time; when it is sold, the entire proceeds of the sale will go straight to Habitat. This happened with a handsome chifferobe from the 1930s, which came to Nick’s store from the Tag Sale; after some refinishing, it was sold at the store for five times the original offering price.

At the most recent Habitat Tag Sale, Nick noticed an interesting silver piece. He phoned a dealer in Great Barrington, a silver expert, who came and saw it, re-appraised it at $85 and bought it. Nick also asked a china dealer to assess some glassware; he did, and Habitat received a fine price for some items that might well have been sold for substantially less money.

Nick and Anne’s help has produced instant results for the benefit of Habitat, which Anne says is important. She is pleased to help her neighbors. "If you don’t start locally, don’t tell me about your concern. We have to work locally. And if there is anybody, anybody in your town who is homeless, that’s horrible." Nick and Anne are now discussing the possibility of storing and selling Habitat items at the Salisbury Antiques Center on a regular basis; that way, the Habitat Tag Sale will evolve into almost a year-round affair.

Like any organization, Habitat needs people willing to do other jobs than pick up a hammer, such as clerical, advertising, legal, marketing, and fundraising work-or something as innovative as what Nick Collin and Anne Cornwall are doing. Do you have special skills or interests that you can contribute? Call us.
Kitty Benedict was coordinating editor of the book Homework: The Quiet Success Story of Affordable Housing in Connecticut
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NEWS BRIEFS

Habitat affiliates are now able to accept donations by credit card through a secure Internet website. Habitat for Humanity International’s online donation service is at: https://secure.habitat.org/giving/local.html At this website, donors have the option of using their VISA, Mastercard, or American Express to make a contribution in support of a specific affiliate. It is also possible for donors at this site to designate their gift as a memorial, or in honor of a specific individual or occasion. According to Builders Magazine, Habitat International ranks 15th among the nation’s top homebuilders. Hotchkiss School has been good enough to build a roomy storage shed for Selleck Hill. Be sure to see our Christmas tree at Noble Horizon’s Festival of Trees.
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