ELY – Community members here gathered last Friday to dedicate a Habitat for Humanity rehabilitation project on 11th Avenue near the Ely Rec Center.
Brittany Satterwhite and her three daughters, Kiersten, 7, Claire, 5, and Kaitlyn, 3, are working with North St. Louis County Habitat for Humanity on renovating an existing Ely “habitat” home from the ground up.
Nathan Thompson, executive director of the regional organization said “Habitat for Humanity’s mission continues to be very relevant in our current times. Our neighbors in need of simple, decent and affordable homes have struggled to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in overcrowded, unhealthy and substandard living conditions.”
He noted that four out of the five families who started home building projects with his organization in 2019 were forced to remain in their current situations as most of society was shut down in March because of the coronavirus.
“You can imagine their joy as we restarted our building program this June. With proper safety protocols in place, they are working alongside our staff and volunteers to complete their homes,” he said.
Satterwhite’s rehab home at 463 11th Ave. E is getting new electrical and plumbing systems and will soon have new windows and siding before winter settles in.
“Brittany is learning a lot from our construction supervisor, Greg Eisenhuth, as she works with community volunteers on her project,” Thompson said.
“Before I knew what Habitat truly was, I thought that a person applied to Habitat and just got a free home,” Satterwhite said. “I didn’t want anything free or to be a burden to anyone. I try to work hard enough so I can make everything work on my own. I was glad to learn that Habitat was about an opportunity to work with volunteers to build and then buy my own home.”
She and her three girls moved to Ely about a year ago and live in an apartment as they continue to work on their new home.
“I have to remind the girls that we have neighbors on the other side of the wall where we live now,” she said. “I am looking forward to adding my own own touches to the home and to helping the children decorate their bedrooms, something they could not do in the rental.”
She added, “I enjoy learning new things about building and being a part of the process.”
She noted that she “welcomes the blisters and back pain as we make progress.”
Thompson said that typical community volunteer help hours for local Habitat for Humanity projects this year were adjusted because of COVID-19.
“We had to be more cautious with our volunteers, but we are hopeful that things will soon get back to normal,” he said.
Volunteers are still needed, and applications for new house projects are still being taken. Go to their website at www.nslchfh.org for more information.