(Seguin) – If you have ever been interested in the Guadalupe Valley Habitat for Humanity program, then this weekend might just be the time for you to learn more about not only the homeownership side of things but also about helping to construct, sponsor or support the local non-profit.
Inviting you to the group’s double home dedication this Saturday is Madeline Zwicke Dalman, the executive director for Habitat for Humanity. Dalman says during the dedication, individuals will get to witness the rewards of the program which provides homes to low-income families through no interest loans.
“We will be dedicating two homes at 501 and 505 E. Pine Street. We also have an open lot in the middle of those two homes which would be the site for our next home that we will be starting to build later this spring, so we are really excited about that. If you are interested in volunteering with us in the future and in the months to come, you will be able to see where our job site is and the homes that we are producing. I also invite anyone who is interested in our program or learning more about our program to come out. You can walk through the homes. You can ask questions. Our staff will be there. Our steering committee will be there so we’ll be able to help answer any questions that you might have. The homeowners that have just gone through the entire process will be there so if you want to ask questions to them, they’ll be able to help you out as well. Even our core volunteer team, if you are interested in volunteering, they’ll be out there as well so we can get you plugged in as well,” said Dalman.
Dalman says this weekend’s dedication is extra special as it features the two separate homes going to two very deserving women and their children. Although they share the same last name of Hernandez, both women, who are not related, have no doubt been enduring the same journey over the last several months.
“The homes that we are dedicating this weekend are both for a family of five. So, Christina and her four children and Keila and her four children. So, they are both four-bedroom homes that Keila with her kids will be living in and then the same with Christina and her four children. We have been serving them over the last 10 months. It will be life changing for 10 people here in our town and in our community so it’s really exciting to see so many lives changed coming up this Saturday,” said Dalman.
Together, Dalman says both families have already embraced the term “neighbor.”
“Our partner families they work on each other’s home. They work on their own home. Keila and Christina have been out there every Saturday ever since construction started and you know some weekends, when we are not working on one, then we are working on the other and vice versa and so they really formed a relationship. They are going to be great neighbors going into the future and they will always be there to support each other, and they really did help build each other’s homes and so that’s the pretty neat thing about our program is that our homebuyer, they put in the sweat equity. They both have completed over 200 hours at our resale, at our construction site working on each other’s home,” said Dalman.
Dalman says dedication after dedication, the local chapter of Habitat remains committed to helping even more families. Dalman says part of that support is having the public be on the lookout for the group’s next homesite.
“We currently have a goal of building three homes this year in 2022 but we are looking to do more. The biggest issue we are facing is land acquisition. We are currently looking for 50 feet by 100 feet lot to build on here in Seguin and so, if we are able to add more lots onto our inventory, we will be able to serve more families. That’s really the missing piece for us right now. So, if you know anyone who is selling a lot or has a lot available that they are thinking about selling, just reach out to us. We would love to get connected and see what we can do there,” said Dalman.
This weekend’s double home dedication gets underway at 11 a.m. Saturday. Again, the home addresses are 501 and 505 E. Pine St.
Those interested in the program or who are looking to sponsor or help build a home are asked to contact the Habitat for Humanity office at 830-401-0422.