The Gwinnett Habitat Story
Inspired by the success of Habitat for Humanity, which since its founding in 1976 has provided housing for more than a million people, a group of citizens decided to take on the need for affordable housing in Gwinnett County.
In 1988 they founded Gwinnett Habitat, and since then we’ve helped to meet that need, one family at a time. Our partnerships with local businesses, churches, and volunteers from all walks of life have constructed more than 85 new homes, and put 150 children in Gwinnett County schools!
Now, as we enter our 20th year, we’re aiming higher than ever. We plan to double our home production in 2008, going from six homes to twelve and putting 30 more children in Gwinnett schools.
We’re also building town homes for the first time — the first Gwinnett Habitat neighborhood!
The need for affordable housing has risen in the two decades since Gwinnett Habitat began. And the cost of construction has risen dramatically, too.
But Gwinnett Habitat is committed to be part of the solution, for as long as it takes, until the time when no family in Gwinnett County has to raise children in unsafe, sub-standard conditions.
With your help, we can do it!
Gwinnett Habitat Homeowner Stories
The Dozier Family
Sonya Dozier is a 39 year old waitress who is eager to provide a home for her family. “My goals are to buy furniture for the house,” she explains. “I want to be able to make our house a home for my children to come back to.” Of utmost importance is providing stability for her children who over the years have moved from apartment to townhome to apartment and occasionally had to switch schools.
Those children have a great role model in their mom who moved into a smaller apartment and shares a bedroom with 7 year old Morgan in order to save money for her family’s new home. She has held a steady job at Buckhead’s OK Café while raising three children; 20 year old Dominique who is in the US Navy, 16 year old Kyeron who plans on attending school to become an engineer and 7 year old Morgan who is most excited to help her mom pick out paint for her new bedroom. Sonya plans to make decorating the kid’s rooms a priority so that they are comfortable in their new digs
The road to a new townhome has been one that took research, education, and most of all.. a willingness to give back to the community that is providing this exciting opportunity. Sonya first read about Habitat for Humanity online and began to do research. She attended two orientation meetings and turned in her application in March of 2009. During the application process, Sonya attended classes to help ease her transition from renter to owner including classes on taxes and communication to help resolve issues in a community with a variety of people. She has also applied “sweat equity” by helping out on the last townhome built in Stokeswood.
“I would go on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Mostly, I worked in the trailer with the tools. Anytime someone needed something, I got it for them and I accepted it when they returned them. I was helping Mr. Ruiz out.” she tells us. During some of these times helping out in the community, Sonya had an opportunity to meet a lot of really nice people. “I’ve met my neighbors, which is good. A lot of people never meet their neighbors even after years of living somewhere. Here it is like a family in the community of townhomes versus just being neighbors.”
Sonya has gone a step further for Habitat for Humanity. She is so grateful for the opportunity it has afforded her and by way of thanks she is helping to spread the word so more families like hers can benefit. She’s hung flyers for upcoming meetings and even recommended it to anyone she meets who might want to take advantage of the unique opportunity. In fact, she has a future neighbor in the Stokeswood neighborhood in the form of a coworker who was recently accepted into the program.
Habitat for Humanity will welcome Sonya to her new home in June!
The Haidari Family
In July, Gwinnett’s Habitat for Humanity broke ground on their 100th home.
This has been an exciting and challenging milestone that has been worth every drop of sweat, every hammering home of a nail and every stroke of paint. And one family has been waiting 15 long months to move into a home to call their own.
The Haidari’s are refugees from Afghanistan. Four years ago, they came to the United States to make a better life for themselves. They came for many of the reasons we take for granted every day. Habitat has had the opportunity to give them a helping hand and something far more precious. They have given the Haidari’s hope that the strong work ethic will continue to pay off and opportunities will continue to present themselves.
Eshaq Haidari has worked for a solar power company for the past two years in order to provide for his family which has overcome so much just in making the trek to the United States. The family is comprised of Eshaq, his wife Sahila Haqiri and their four children. Sadeq, 14; Tareq; 12; Shaima, 7; and Ramesh; 19 month, share a cramped two bedroom apartment in Decatur with their parents. Lack of space is not the first struggle that comes to mind for them. Their initial and ongoing hurdle was the language barrier. They band together in order to learn and communicate just as their neighbors have banded together to drive the Haidaris to the store for groceries and other family needs. Owning a habitat home is no easy feat. It’s not a handout. A habitat home is earned through more than just meeting requirements set forth. It asks that a family be committed not only to themselves, but also to the community around them. The whole family is eager to give back as much, if not more, than what has already been given to them.
“This has been a great experience,” Esheq says. “It has pushed us to help others. We treasure the moments when everyone comes together for one purpose.”
Through Habitat’s sweat equity program, the Haidari’s have already met some of their neighbors. They stand outside their future home, rain or shine, and just look with awe at what the community has built for them. They have begun looking around for furniture for their new home. Sadeq is especially excited for the December move-in and his own room and with that a bed and privacy.
“For us, this is a very good thing,” he says.
A good thing, indeed. 100 homes, 100 dreams. For that, Habitat is grateful.
Written by Erin Grantham