Results of the Christmas Gala

Over 400 people attended the 9th Annual Wine Tasting and Silent Art Auction on December 2nd raising over $26,000 for the affiliate making it the most successful Gala to date. Shelley , Michelle Bova and Ann King and their committees presented a tremendous event enjoyed by all who attended. Next year's Gala again will be held at the Casa Monica Hotel on Thursday, December 8th. The event henceforth will be known as the Habitat Holiday Gala.

Northrop Grumman sponsors a Habitat for Humanity Home

On Friday, February 4, employees of Northrop Grumman began the construction of a Habitat home for Linda and Cleve Stokes and their three grandchildren. "We are so happy to be able to help Mr. & Mrs. Stokes and their grandchildren," side Suzanne McQuiston, Community Relations, Northrop Grumman, ".because it also means we are building up our own home: the community of St. Augustine."

Quick Comments and the President's Corner have been merged to enable President Eliot Smith and Executive Director Diane Quick to answer some frequently asked questions about applying for a Habitat home:

Q. How does Habitat select families?
1. Need. The family must be able to show that current housing is substandard and/or crowded, or in a "bad" neighborhood and they do not qualify for conventional mortgage.
2. Ability and willingness to pay mortgage payments of up to $350 per month. Applicant's credit and employment history is reviewed.
3. Willingness to partner with Habitat (400 hours of sweat equity and attendance at workshops).
4. Applicants must have lived in St. Johns County for at least one year.

Q. How do applicants apply?
We have orientation meetings periodically where interested families learn about the selection process and obtain applications.

Q. What is the selection process?
Families who have completed the application are interviewed by members of the Selection Committee. The committee reviews recommendations of of the interviewers, credit reports and other application information. Approved applications are then sent to the Board of Directors for final approval. The process takes up to two months.

Q. What is "sweat equity?"
This is a fundamental Habitat concept in which a family "pays" for part of the cost of a home by helping to build it and other Habitat families homes. It includes several workshops that prepare the family for home ownership.

Q. After approval, how long does it take until the family can move into a home?
It depends on how long it takes the family to fulfill its sweat equity requirements and how many families are ahead of them. Usually it takes 15 to 18 months.

Q. How does Habitat keep its mortgage payments so low?
We typically offer 15 year mortgages with monthly payments under $350, including escrow for taxes and insurance. We hold payments down in four ways: we charge no interest on the mortgage loans, we make no profit on the house; we hold down the cost by using volunteer labor wherever possible; we get some state funding , usually up to $15,000 to help reduce the mortgage.

New Volunteers At Habitat: Malinda Everson and Sarah Antonson

Malinda is a new resident of the St. Augustine area having moved here from Flint, Michigan. There, she was the Executive Director for Genesee County Habitat for humanity. She also served on the Board of Directors for the Flint , Michigan YMCA.. Malinda is a licensed builder, real estate agent and a graduate of Mott College in Flint. She works for St. Johns Housing Partnership doing resource development. Sarah, also a new resident of St. Augustine, is a recent graduate of the University of Florida. Her involvement with Habitat began when a college assignment required the writing of a grant for a worthy cause. Sarah chose Habitat, and her work earned the affiliate an $85,000 grant. She works as a real estate appraiser and private tutor for children.