Building a home

By dstrez@ss-times.com

---

Since the youngest of her three boys was two weeks old, Tami Koehl and her family have lived in a two-bedroom, second floor apartment in Greenwood. To say the least– seven years later – life in the apartment is crowded and trying. “It’s been crazy,” Koehl said. “It wasn’t so bad when they were little.” Single parenthood and her sole income as a childcare worker made more comfortable housing options seem impossible. But then Koehl discovered Habitat for Humanity, a Johnson county segment of an international non-profit organization which helps provide affordable housing for families exactly like hers. With Arthur, 12, Jaylen, 10, and seven-year-old Theodore eagerly awaiting the chance to have bedrooms of their own and bikes, too, Koehl is only weeks away from turning a key and realizing a longtime dream. In late June, she and her boys will move into their 1,100 square foot home on this quiet, tree-lined street. She loves the kitchen, large enough for a dining room table. She loves the laundry room. And the fact that, from her bedroom window, she can look out at trees and green in the backyard, Koehl said. Because of Habitat’s no-profit loans and because each Habitat dwelling is built entirely by volunteers, mortgage payments are affordable for low-income families. All of Koehl’s mortgage payments are paid to Habitat. And that money is used to purchase materials for the construction of future Habitat homes. A process which usually requires 18 months turned into more than two years as Koehl waited patiently for an opportunity to qualify for a Habitat home in Greenwood. With five Habitat homes completed in Franklin and one home built for an Edinburgh family, this is the first Habitat home in Greenwood, said Rhett Cecil, executive director of Habitat for Humanity in Johnson County. Finding available and affordable land for building homes is one of the organization’s biggest challenges. That was exactly what delayed Koeh’s dream – the lack of land for building. Once a Greenwood lot was available – made possible through the donation of land and the financial assistance of Wells Fargo – volunteers from various churches and businesses quickly gathered to make it all happen for Koehl and her kids, Cecil said with a smile. For the last three weeks, dozens of volunteers have appeared at this address every day, with ladders, hammers, saws and stacks of lumber. Because of these community-minded helpers, Habitat for Humanity, a volunteer-driven organization, continues to thrive, Cecil said. “That first morning, there was block and pea gravel on this lot,” Cecil said. “By lunch time, there was a floor and walls.” Wearing work gloves and a smile, Koehl has happily arrived early every morning to work on her home. Her sister Jodi Kemper of Brownsburg, is working right alongside her sister. “She and I are having the time of our lives just hanging siding,” Koehl said with a grin. “And I am all about the nail gun. I’ve learned a lot. I also know about plumbing and setting windows.” “She deserves this so much,” Kemper said of her sister. “She has worked so hard. She and her boys will finally have a front porch and a backyard.” “I don’t have to go to the laundromat ever again,” Koehl said with a smile. “I love the fact that we will be in a neighborhood. The boys really want bikes. And this house is going to be mine. It’s amazing.” Raising funds for this cause, gathering volunteers and reviewing applications for future Habitat projects is sometimes overwhelming but always worth the work, Cecil said. “There is no price tag for dignity,” he said. “This is something I never thought I would be able to do,” Koehl said with tears in her eyes. “But I can look back now and see, step by step, that I did what I needed to do and now we have this. Amazing.” For him and all of the volunteers, all the hard work will be well worth it, “when I get to drive by and see the boys playing in the yard,” Cecil said.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.