Commentary: Setting the record straight on Habitat communities

This is in response to Richard Lawson’s column, “Habitat project flap exposes affordable housing catch-22” [Oct. 27]. I’ll agree that “where” is one of our biggest challenges as an agency dedicated to giving hardworking people a hand-up toward homeownership. Indeed, we spent more than 18 months looking for property on which to build our next workforce housing community.

We looked at land in Bellevue, Antioch and Whites Creek. The criteria were: proper zoning; access to public utilities, transportation and schools; affordable price. The land for Park Preserve met all criteria and the other locations did not meet all criteria.

What I must take issue with is the comparison of building a large number of Habitat homes in a community to “ ‘ghettoizing’ an area,” and generalizations without sources that begin with “the talk is” and “others in the business say.”

Affordable housing is vital to the quality of life and the tax base in Nashville. We agree that the city needs a comprehensive plan to meet the needs of hardworking families making $17,000 to $34,000 per year. Mr. Lawson’s inflammatory words and schoolyard banter do not contribute productively to the discussion.

Nashville Area Habitat communities are filled with attractive, modestly sized starter homes, built and purchased by a multitude of races and cultures and beliefs. Nashville Area Habitat homeowners take pride in the appearance of their homes, yards and neighborhood, and they are protective of the covenants to which all Habitat homeowners have agreed to abide. Even though they bought their homes, owners view them as a gift to be cherished and an asset to protect.

Habitat homeowners are not “cast off” into a sequestered area. They filled out applications and fulfilled stringent eligibility requirements, praying that they would be selected for a program that requires up to 475 hours of sweat equity, up to 290 hours of which represent evening HomeWORKS courses, to be worked in between jobs and raising families. They must save up to $2,500 to cover closing costs on their loan. They pay $350-$500 monthly on a no-interest mortgage.

And they are happy to know that their neighbors will be held to the same high standards written into the deed of trust and covenants, conditions and restrictions for the neighborhood and enforced by the homeowners’ association and management company. (The agency is the mortgage holder for these homes and can pursue legal action up to and including foreclosure for violations of the deed of trust, including being involved directly or indirectly in criminal activity.)

Large developments are not “the easiest way” for us to meet our mission. To create a cohesive community of families who have committed to live responsibly and peacefully is not at all easy. It takes millions in private funding, good stewardship of those funds, volunteer manpower, and years of facilitation, oversight and management. However, our parent organization, Habitat for Humanity International, learned that bringing hardworking families together, where they can support each other in their new skills and life goals, is far more successful than “sprinkling” homes throughout an area where Habitat’s rules don’t apply to anyone except those living in Habitat homes.

Mr. Lawson states that our agency wants to work with other affordable-housing groups (we do), and follows with an unsubstantiated “but” that characterizes Habitat as a group that “doesn’t play well with others.” Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity has partnerships with hundreds of organizations and agencies, including churches, corporations, NES, TVA, the Housing Fund, the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, Catholic Charities, UT, TSU, The Nashville Conflict Resolution Center, Team Green, and the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute, just to name a few. Nashville Area Habitat simply could not exist without strong partnerships, and we do everything in our power to make those partnerships successful for all involved.

Who are these “others” in the business who say “Habitat organizations everywhere suck dollars out of the philanthropic community” and leave “scraps” for other organizations? We compete for funding through grant applications just like every other agency, and we must show sustainable, positive results and good stewardship to receive any funding at all. Besides, “everyone” knows that HCA gives to many, many valuable nonprofit programs, not just in one category but everything from health care to the arts to affordable housing and youth development. HCA doesn’t just give in Nashville but also in many other areas of the country where the company has hospitals.

Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity does get a lot of media coverage, but it’s not centered on “stroking” volunteers. Nine times out of 10, reporters prefer to talk to the families purchasing Habitat homes, and the resulting stories illustrate how well our homeowners are using the hard-earned income they have to make an investment in a better future for their families. And that’s not fluff; that’s the real story.

So please do stay engaged in the discussion. Do keep talking about how we can all better serve hardworking families. Affordable housing must get the attention it deserves, and our agency cannot serve the entire need on its own. But to make any strides toward a comprehensive solution, schoolyard banter must be set aside, and specific goals and tactics must take its place.

The future of Nashville depends on it.

John Gillespie

Board Chairman, Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity