Habitat For Humanity: Helping Families Realize The Dream Of Owning A Home

A home of one's own is something we all strive to have — a place to live and grow within the safety and peace of four walls. St. Leo’s Parish has helped make this goal a reality for families here in Grand Island through our participation in Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization working in local communities in all 50 states in the United States and more than 70 countries. Families apply to their local Habitat for Humanity to be considered for a home. After meeting the selection criteria, Habitat families contribute hours of “sweat equity” working on their own home, as well as paying an affordable mortgage.

In Grand Island, Habitat for Humanity usually builds four to five houses each year. Our parishioners help one day each spring, with the date to be announced. Other Grand Island parishes also take part.

The Ladies of Leo’s, our Altar Society, provides lunch on our build day for all of the builders that day.

“This is such a big deal to have people be able to have safe and affordable housing,” says Donna Douglass, St. Leo’s Outreach Coordinator. “That is what Habitat for Humanity brings to our community and that is what our parishioners are helping to build.”

Taking part in a Habitat for Humanity build fits into many of the Catholic Social Teaching themes, including Rights and Responsibilities. Donna notes these as follows:

Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Therefore, every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities — to one another, to our families, and to the larger society. In simpler terms, this means people have a fundamental right to life, food, shelter, health care, education, and employment.

“Those taking part in the build need no special skills,” Donna says. “They will find a job for each of you. Depending on what the building plans are for that day, the tool list changes, but a couple of staples to have on hand are gloves and hammers.”

Besides meeting and working with fellow parishioners, build volunteers often find that there has been a positive impact on their faith.

“You will get to meet the family that will be living in the house when it is complete,” Donna says. “The family not only has a mortgage to pay for the house, but they must also complete sweat equity hours of helping to build the house. Realizing the blessing of your own home and seeing a family’s dream come true helps to thank God for our blessings and feel the reward of knowing that we have helped someone else.”

Another benefit of taking part in a build is realizing that the experience allows one to live in stewardship.

“Whether someone has construction knowledge or not, they can help build a house for a family,” Donna says. “That is giving of one’s time. And again, they get to meet the family who will get the house. I think that only strengthens the realization of how important their giving to this project is. This is an example of giving our time for the good of others in thanksgiving for the good that has blessed us.”

Anyone interested in taking part in the build day may sign up on sheets provided in the Gathering Area. The sheets are put out a few weeks before the build day. Parishioners may also sign up by calling the parish office at 308-382-4753.

During St. Leo’s build day for Grand Island’s Habitat for Humanity, two volunteers review a checklist for the work to be done on a new home.

St. Leo’s parishioners volunteer with Grand Island’s Habitat for Humanity. Here, two of the build crew check measurements in a closet being built in a new home.