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Building a Better Habitat for Seguin

Seguin, TX, USA / Seguin Today
Building a Better Habitat for Seguin


Laying the foundation for a community of Habitat Homeowners

An ambitious goal by a local non-profit group may just put more local families into the home of their dreams. Guadalupe Valley Habitat for Humanity is known for building high-quality, affordable and decent housing for qualified hard working families here in Seguin. The non-profit group and its volunteers build about five new homes a year in Seguin, which are then sold to families through no interest loans. It’s a process that requires the families to put in sweat-equity by helping to build their own home. They then are given the necessary tools and trainings to help them avoid the additional challenges that come with homeownership. These are working families who just needed a little bit of help, and it’s been a game changer for the families that have received the homes. Building five homes a year was once a lofty goal for the local chapter, but now it has plans to push that number to 20 to 40 or more homes at a time. They don’t just want to build a home here and there, they want to build a real community. A place where hard working Seguin families can thrive, a place where neighbors help each other, and a place that generates pride in one’s community.

The idea for the Guadalupe Valley Affliate to develop its own subdivision started shortly after the local affiliate merged with the much larger chapter in San Antonio. Both affiliates saw a benefit in a partnership. The Seguin affiliate got additional support and resources from San Antonio, while the San Antonio affiliate recognized that it had people applying for homes there but who actually worked and spent much of their time in Seguin. The partnership has continued to blossom over the years, and that ultimately led to the Guadalupe Valley Affliate purchasing just over 30 acres of land near State Highway 46 and Jefferson Avenue.

Madeline Zwicke, the executive director of Seguin’s Guadalupe Valley affliate, says it’s a prime piece of real estate that they want to convert into a subdivision with more than 100 homes.  Zwicke says it will be more than just a bunch of houses built together. Instead, she says it will be a real community for the families to enjoy.

“When it’s completed, it will house 120 habitat homes, and it’ll also be the future site of our office and ReStore and our home center,” said Zwicke.

The subdivision will be a major change for the local affiliate. Zwicke says they are currently building them one at a time, but this would change all that. It’s a more effecient way to build, and it will create even more opportunities for families to find their new home.

“Right now, we are building on infill lots, or scattered sites throughout Seguin. I’m sure most (people) know that the cost of infill lots is really, really high right now. It’s gone up quadruple in price since I started working for habitat five years ago. So, it’s just not feasible for us to continue to build on scattered sites. We really do need to go into subdivision type building,” Zwicke.

People sometimes confuse affordable housing with terms like government housing or subsidized housing. There’s a place for that type of housing in Seguin as well, but that’s not what Habitat for Humanity does. They are helping to create homeowners and taxypayers, who will continue to contribute to the community in a positive way.

Taylor Judkin, assistant vice-president for development and communications for the combined San Antonio and Guadalupe Valley Affliate, says they’ve already successfully built some of these neighborhoods in San Antonio. She says these are well-built, well-kept subdivisions.

“Currently in San Antonio, we are building a subdivision called Rancho Carlota. We actually just dedicated 24 new homes. From January to April (of this year), we built 24 new homes. So, the power of having that subdivision (is clear),” said Judkin.

Judkin says Habitat works with homeowners just like any other builder. They allow the homeowner to make decisions about the look and feel of their home, and that’s one of the reasons why their neighborhoods are so special.

“They’re not cookie cutter, so you can actually tell the houses apart. We have 12 different elevations. We have paint packages, with fun colors. So when you’re coming through, you really see a sense of community. The great thing about our program is that they are putting in that sweat equity. They’re building their neighbor’s home and they’re building theirs too. So, they’re able to get to know one another. They are building a true community within the subdivision, which I think is very unique compared to other subdivisions,” said Judkin.

The threshold required to buy a traditional new home continues to rise for many families. That’s one of the reasons why Habitat officials say this new planned subdivision will make such a big difference for Seguin’s future.

“The average median income for a house is around $300,000 for a three-bedroom home. That’s high for a lot of people, especially in the working class. We’re offering around $145,000 for a brand new three or four bedroom, two bath home. They are absolutely beautiful, with open concepts, (and they are)…designed for different types of needs. So if you have a disability, you could be there and you could age in place. It’s very accessible to all their needs and to everything that we see in the family,” said Judkin.

Creating more affordable housing is just part of the equation. The other part deals with the fact that the number of families looking for this help also continues to grow. Judkin says they know that the need exisits, which is why they are committed to making this project happen for Seguin.

“Right now, we get…roughly 4,500 applications a year, if not more. People truly need this affordable housing here in our community,” said Judkin.

Habitat’s volunteers are ready and willing to take the next steps, but first they are going to need to raise a significant amount of money to make sure that everything is in place for the development of the neighborhood.

“Phases one and two will house about 40 to 50 homes. What’s holding us back from getting that started is the infrastructure costs. That’s what we’re working on right now. We have to get those costs covered and it’s a price tag of $2 million. That’s what is holding us back, are those infrastructure costs,” said Zwicke.

While she knows this is an ambitious goal, Zwicke also believes it’s a realistic goal for Seguin. She says once the work gets started on the subdivision, it will allow them to move much faster with the construction of each new home.

“It’s easier for staff. It’s easier for volunteers. It makes everything so much easier to be all in one place and not scattered throughout Seguin,” said Zwicke.

In June, Habitat held its first big community fundraising event. The Build for Better Bash brought more than 200 volunteers together at Texas Lutheran University to build dozens of wall panels that will be used in future homes. The event also helped to raise more awareness about Habitat for Humanity and its mission to build affordable and decent housing for working families. But it was also an attempt to share the group’s vision for more housing opportunities in Seguin. It hopes that the bash will continue to grow and help to generate even more money for its overall cause. They also hope it attracts even larger donors, who can help them get to the $2 million needed for the neighborhood’s infrastructure. Regular volunteer opportunities are available through Habitat. Individuals, groups and businesses are all welcome to join in building a better future for Seguin.

“To be able to provide that at such a larger scale is really what we want to go for, especially here in the community. I think that’s the biggest thing that we’re seeing here in (Seguin) is that people don’t realize that we’re building currently, and we’re building year-round. There’s always a chance for you to get involved and to help us to grow. We would love to see more of the community come get behind us and support their local neighbors,” said Judkin.

To make a donation to Habitat or to find out other ways for you to support its work, visit Habitat for Humanity at www.habitatgv.org, or by calling 830-401-0422.