Habitat for Humanity begins work on New River home
MARC BUCKHOUT ~ MANAGING EDITOR ~ 6/9/2010

Heather Turner said over the years she has often considered getting involved with Habitat for Humanity.
“I like helping people,” said the Cave Creek Unified School District employee.
As the saying goes turnabout is fair play.
Instead of being a volunteer with the non-profit organization the Phoenix resident will
be a beneficiary.
On May 27 the Desert Foothills branch of Habitat for Humanity (HFHDF) broke ground on their latest project, one that Turner and her 4-year-old son Carson will eventually call home.
“I’m very excited,” she said. “When I started the process I didn’t really anticipate being picked, but I feel very blessed that they could see the potential in me. I was excited, but it didn’t feel real until I was there for the groundbreaking and saw the lines marked on the ground where a home is going to be built.”
The Desert Foothills branch of Habitat for Humanity, has been serving families in the communities of Cave Creek, Carefree, North Scottsdale, North Phoenix, Rio Verde, Tonto Verde, Anthem, New River and Desert
Hills since 2001.
During that time they’ve provided homes for 22 families in the North Valley.
According to Todd Rogers, Habitat for Humanity Desert Foothills’ Executive Director, “We have received more applications for homes this year, which proves families are in need of affordable housing in the North Valley.”
Turner’s home will be the first on multiple fronts, in that it will be the first single-family home construction project and it will be the first project built in New River.
“We’ve been looking to branch out to cover our entire service area so we’re excited to be working on a project in New River,” development and volunteer coordinator Colleen Pyra said. “We’re always on the hunt to purchase land at a good price.”
Having purchased the land, in the Twin Peaks area off of 27th Ave. and New River Road, the organization then went about finding a worthy recipient.
Potential homeowner must have a need for simple, decent, affordable housing. Their current living space may be too small for their family, or they are paying more than they can afford. The applicant must have the ability to pay for housing, as well as other expenses by showing at least two years of consistent income.
The selected applicant then works in partnership with HFHDF to build and buy his or her own home. Part of the arrangement includes the recipient providing 400 hours of ‘sweat equity’ for a dual parent household, or 200 hours for a single parent family.
“The 200 hours can be helping in the building process or doing construction cleanup or you can even spend some times working in the store,” Turner said.
The store Turner refers to is ReStore, which HFHDF runs in Anthem. The store sells new and gently used building materials, household items, furniture and fixtures at 20 to 70 percent off retail prices. Proceeds from the sale of goods help fund the purchase of future properties. The store is open 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday - Saturday at 42205 North Vision Way in Anthem.
Pyra said there’s a misconception about
Habitat’s mission.
“We don’t give homes away,” she said. “Because of our donors, who give both supplies and funds and the hours put in by the recipient and other volunteers we’re able to keep costs down. By doing so we can offer a no-interest loan with mortgage payments that are affordable to our
selected families.”
According to the HFHD Habitat homeowners typically have incomes that are 30-60 percent of the median income in the area. If financial backgrounds suggest a family may be a candidate then a home visit is paid by HFHDF to determine the family’s level of need and to determine if they would be a fit.
With construction set to start in July, Turner is excited about the coming months. She and her son are expected to be able to move in by the end of the year.
“I’ve worked in early childhood field for a long time,” she said. “When you have a child of your own your priorities change and you want a home for him, somewhere with a yard where he can play. I’ve been trying to save, but it was going to be a long time before I could have afforded one on my own. With the help of Desert Foothills Habitat it has really sped up the process.”
For information HFHDF or to volunteer, visit www.habitatdf.org or call 623-551-6000.