Creating Habitat For Humans Group Builds Pride, Hope As Well As Homes

Curt Hagan is a man with a mission: houses. For hard-working, low-income families.

“I always believe home ownership breeds pride, pride breeds hope, and home ownership is a great tie to hope,” Hagan said.

Appropriately enough, Curt and his wife, Jeanelle Shields, live in Hope, a small town tucked into the Cabinet Mountains and close to Lake Pend Oreille and Sandpoint.

Life hasn’t always been easy for this native of Big Sandy, Mont. On his moves throughout the Northwest, he experienced first-hand what it is to, “live in a house with a leaky roof and bad plumbing,” he said.

Sub-par housing seems endemic in North Idaho, where poverty is at an all-time high.

“Families live with little or no amenities that the rest of the country takes for granted: running water, indoor plumbing, electricity or alternative power, insulation, a sturdy roof,” he said.

Hagan, a real estate agent with Evergreen Realty, is also president of the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, an organization dedicated to providing good, functional housing for deserving families. Since 1976, when visionary Millard Fuller started the nationwide Christian organization, more than 60,000 homes have been built by volunteer labor.

The “no frills” houses are not given away.

“It is called a hand up, not a hand out,” said Lisa Tucker, mother of three who owns the first home built by Habitat in Bonner County. Lisa works full-time and wondered if she’d ever be able to own a home.

“It’s always been a struggle when I handed over money to a landlord,” Tucker said. “But now when I hand it over, it’s for my own home, and I don’t waste money.”

Owners make monthly payments on a no-interest loan. That money is applied to the next project. Additional money comes from the parent organization, from local churches and generous citizens. Lumber companies and other constructionrelated businesses often donate materials.

“I’d love to name all the names,” Hagan said. “They really deserve a tip of the hat.”

This is also a pay as you go program.

“I just couldn’t afford a down payment, but I can do the sweat equity,” Tucker said.

By “sweat equity” she referred to the 500 hours of volunteer labor expected from each new homeowner. New homeowners often go on to help the next family.

“It’s everybody helping each other,” Hagan said. He said “the third family up did the wallboard on this second house. The guy did a lot of the sweat equity and his next job for us is going to be on his own place.”

Due to the isolated location on donated land at Jewel Lake, and last year’s long hard winter, the second Habitat for Humanity house has been slow going. Volunteers like “Steady Eddy” George Mundell pounded nails all last winter along with Mike Schissler, past president, who founded the local chapter in 1991.

“I go out to Jewel Lake but I usually get in the way,” confessed Hagan, who calls himself “more of an organizer.” He does all the grant procurement, purchases and paperwork and said, “I like to chirp about the fact that there is no government money involved.”

The biggest expense is for indoor necessities such as plumbing fixtures, heating, doors and carpets.

Cathy Jones, a single mother of four who has been selected for the second Habitat home, can hardly wait.

“We’re definitely planning to get Cathy and her family into their home by Christmas,” Hagan said, “but we are still in need of donations in order to finish off the inside.”

Those who want to donate should call Ken and Doris Williams at 265-4544 or Hagan at 264-8828.

, DataTimes MEMO: Susan Saxton D’Aoust is a free-lance writer and author who lives in Clark Fork. Panhandle Pieces appears every Saturday. The column is shared among several North Idaho writers.