Sisters Dominque Baptiste (left) and Tamara Harrell live in side-by-side houses not far from their childhood home.
BY CHANEL WILLIAMS
NNB Student Reporter
ST. PETERSBURG – Dominique Baptiste and Tamara Harrell grew up together in their grandmother’s modest house in the Midtown neighborhood.
To some people, Midtown is a bleak place blighted by urban decay, poverty and crime. But to the sisters, it’s home.
That’s why they are grateful that Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas County helped them build side-by-side homes on 21st Avenue S, a block from the house where they grew up.
“This has been the best opportunity for me,” said Baptiste, 29, a single mother with three children. “I don’t know who’s happier – me or my kids.”
They moved into their four-bedroom, two-bath home in September, three months after Harrell, 33, and her two children moved into the three-bedroom, two-bath house next door.
Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization based on Christian principles, has been helping struggling, low-income families build houses in Pinellas since 1985. People and families who qualify are required to complete 20 homeownership preparedness courses and work 250 to 350 “sweat equity” hours alongside the Habitat volunteers who are building their homes and homes for other Habitat families.
Once a candidate has met Habitat’s requirements and the house is built, Habitat sells the house to the candidate at no profit with a zero-interest mortgage.
Harrell’s home was Habitat’s 300th new home in Pinellas. Baptiste’s was No. 309.
The completion of the two homes came as Habitat debuts a new program in the corridor bordered by Ninth and 26th avenues S between 25th and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. streets. Under the program, called the Mercy-Midtown Home Preservation Partnership, Habitat will help low-income homeowners make substantial improvements to their houses.
Following Habitat’s partnership model, homeowners are required to work 10 to 25 “sweat equity” hours alongside volunteers and contractors for work like roof replacement, plumbing and electrical repairs, painting and landscaping, upgrades in energy efficiency and modifications to help people with physical disabilities.
The homeowners will get zero-interest loans from Habitat to cover the cost of materials, with a payment schedule based on affordability.
Habitat has begun to accept applications and hopes to serve 10 homeowners in 2015.
Dominque Baptiste, with children (from left) Johntavius, Amiya and Alona, says the support of Habitat volunteers was “just breathtaking.”
The services supervisor for Habitat’s Midtown home preservation initiative is Antwaun Wells, 39, a building contractor, barber and civic activist who grew up in Midtown and wants to help the neighborhood rebound.
“I’m a community stakeholder, but I’m also a servant and I love impacting my community,” he said. “One of the main reasons why I’m happy to be part of the Habitat is because we are the people.”
“It is time for us to invest in the community to bring it back to speed,” he said. “My personal take on your life is, if you’re not doing anything good for yourself or anybody else, then you are good for nothing. I want to be known as someone who is good for something.”
Habitat for Humanity International was founded in 1976 on the principle that “all of God’s children ought to have a simple, decent place in which to live.” Its most famous volunteers are former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, who volunteer for Habitat for one week every year.
The Pinellas chapter of Habitat, one of more than 1,400 affiliates around the country, does not get funding from the main organization. It relies on corporate contributions, donations from individuals, and the mortgage payments of people living in Habitat-built homes. For every home built in Pinellas, a home is also built overseas.
A common misconception is that Habitat gives away free homes to low-income families. In fact, Habitat recipients must meet the program’s qualifications and spend up to a year in classes and Habitat work projects before they get the keys and a no-interest mortgage (see informaton below).
Because of the strict guidelines, only five of the 313 Habitat homes in Pinellas have ended up in foreclosure, according to Ron Spoor, the organization’s chief operating officer.
Baptiste, who moved into her new Midtown home in September, calls Habitat “a program of second chances.”
Tamara Harrell, with children Jakobey (left) and Jalicia, greeted her sister’s family with a Welcome mat.
More than 200 volunteers helped build her home, she said. “It meant a lot to me; the community supported me throughout the entire process … There were a few military officers that volunteered to prime and paint the outside of my home. The support was just breathtaking.”
While she attended Habitat’s mandatory classes on home ownership, Baptiste worked two jobs – as a senior process technician at Valpak and a full-time mother to three children, ages 14, 11 and 4.
“It was hard,” she said. “I did struggle but the classes taught me responsibility.”
Her new home helped her develop a new attitude, Baptiste said. “Since all these random people helped me, I decided to pay it forward.”
She has helped build other Habitat homes. She spoke at the organization’s homeowner orientation class to share her experience and urge Habitat applicants to never give up. And she assisted with the development of Habitat’s Girl Powerhouse endeavor, which has the motto “Built by women; funded by women.”
On the day she received the keys to her new home, Baptiste was presented a Welcome mat by her new next-door neighbor – her sister.
Harrell said it took her 18 months to take the Habitat classes and complete her “sweat equity” hourswhile working full time as a licensed practical nurse and studying to become a registered nurse. She works at the nearby Johnnie Ruth Clarke Community Health Center.
At the dedication of her house, Harrell told Bay News 9 that she was overwhelmed with excitement. “Just to show my kids that you have something, you don’t have to rent all your life. Just to provide that stability for them.”
Her children, ages 11 and 10, are pleased that they don’t have to move around any more, said Harrell, and even more pleased that they now live next to their cousins.
How it works
To qualify for a new home, candidates must meet three principles – a need for housing, the ability to pay and a willingness to partner in the building efforts. Specifically, candidates must earn 30 to 80 percent of the median income in Pinellas County – as little as $22,500 a year for a family of four. They must demonstrate a need for adequate shelter, the ability to pay back a zero-interest loan and willingness to put in 250 to 350 “sweat equity hours” on their potential home and other Habitat homes. In addition, candidates must attend 20 homeownership preparedness classes on topics ranging from financial education to home maintenance, energy conservation, domestic violence, parenting and being a good neighbor.