April 2001: The Time is Now
By Kim Storin, Publicity Committee
It has been a long time coming for the Howell family. Since being chosen as the next partner family for the Millstone Basin Affiliate, they have been anxiously awaiting the construction of their new home. And when the house is finished later this year, Channel Howell and her two children will become the newest residents of East Windsor's Evan Avenue neighborhood.
A few years ago, the Howells moved from Florida to New Jersey to make a fresh start.
The transition to independence was very difficult. Not being able to afford a place of
their own, Channel and her children, Olivia, 8, and Keith, 3, had to move in with Channel's
mother in Trenton. Dedicated and strong-willed, Channel has persevered through the tough
times. The family learned of the work Habitat has done in East Windsor through the Davises
(also a Habitat partner family.) Channel knew that as a single mother of two with a limited
income, she would not qualify for a conventional mortgage, but with her salary and
determination, she hoped her family would be a fit with Habitat.
During the selection process last year, the Millstone Basin Family Selection committee
felt the Howells were a perfect fit for Habitat; and its choice was finalized when the
Board of Directors approved their selection, making the Howell project Millstone Basin
Area’s fifth project (four new houses and one reconstruction.)
Channel, who has become a familiar face at the affiliate’s board meetings,
can’t believe that construction is underway; 
she and her family will soon realize
their dream of owning their own home. But Channel has not been sitting back as the
preliminary work gets done. She accumulated some required “sweat equity”
hours by selling house-pin jewelry and helping out at other events and now is putting in
time working on her house.
This new home on Evan Avenue will be constructed in a non-traditional fashion. Just as the affiliate's previous project, Birdie Davis's house, it will be built using panelized construction, making the building process much faster and easier. Framed and sheathed sections will be built off-site before the volunteers on the work site participate in the construction process. The roof will be partly constructed in truss-style with pre-built triangles. This type of construction encourages a more time-, energy- and economically-efficient "blitz build" -- Habitat slang for the first few days of building when a large percentage of the work is done, which usually includes the roof, exterior walls, doors and windows.
For a family that has never been able to own its own home, this event marks a life-change.
This house is a testament to the family's determination and marks the potential for an
even brighter future. For the Howells, it is a dream that would not be possible without
Habitat for Humanity.
All this costs money, of course. And while the board has enough in the bank to fund the building of the Howell house, it does need raise tens of thousands more during the remainder of 2001 to be able to start construction on Project 6 soon.
Sweat equity is the value Habitat families build into their homes by contributing 500
hours of volunteer service. In addition to that willingness to be involved in the program,
partner families also are selected based on their need for housing and their ability to
make monthly payments to the affiliate on a no-interest mortgage.
This house will be the first of three the affiliate hopes to get started during 2000;
the other two will also be built on Evan Avenue, filling the available land the affiliate
owns on that street. This is, by far, the most aggressive year the affiliate has ever
planned; in the past, Millstone Basin, a relatively young affiliate, has averaged about one
house every two years. (Last year, the 23 New Jersey affiliates built a total of 44 houses
with partner families.)
