Updated August 21 , 2009

Walls were raised on July 25^th for a new Habitat home at 1221 N 44^th Street. Partner family, Tuan Le and his four children, will be buying the home through a no-interest loan with Habitat. This build  made possible due to a generous contribution from our newest board member, Dr. Steven Eggland will focus on sustainable materials and energy efficient techniques. The gift was given in honor of Dr. Eggland’s maternal Norwegian immigrant family and will be called the Stenson House. The Stenson family included an architect, carpenters, a lumber yard manager and several farmers. Dr. Eggland says, “They were, predictably, committed to thrift and sustainability before their time.”

Tuan Le and Children

                                    Photo by Tonia Novak

Green building...Habitat style is a matter of faith and stewardship. How and where we construct housing are critical issues to consider as our health, economy and culture will feel the long-term impacts from our action taken today. Economically, cost-benefit analyses show tremendous long-term savings to homeowners and society when we design housing that is energy and resource efficient.

The green building movement (often referred to as sustainable) is something most everyone is excited about and supports, however, affordable building with sustainable materials and energy efficient components has lagged due to the sometimes higher initial costs involved. Habitat has always made every effort to build homes with low operating costs, providing Habitat families the obvious health benefits of living in a dry, clean house with affordable utilities.

Habitat’s modestly sized homes of 1000 square feet fit families’ needs without wasting space. Our philosophy is to reduce waste, recycle everything possible and take advantage of energy efficiencies during construction.  Locally, our affiliate is in the process of learning the most energy-efficient techniques and adapting them to Habitat’s volunteer friendly, cost-conscious methods. We find ourselves often walking the line between being willing to experiment with new products and staying careful to spend donor dollars wisely.

THRIVENT BUILD PROJECTS NEAR COMPLETION

       DEDICATION SET FOR SEPTEMBER 20

Lincoln area Lutheran congregations have come together to build Habitat for Humanity homes at 3319 X Street and 7020 Platte Ave. Plans are being made to dedicate these homes on September 20.

 “Habitat homes provide security and stability for the adults and children who work to own them,” said Nancy Muehling, executive director of the local Habitat affiliate. “Thrivent is making it possible for some local families to take a step out of poverty.”

Two fortunate families will be purchasing the homes from Habitat for Humanity through a no-interest loan. These families have incomes below 50% of the medium income for Lancaster County and Habitat is the only program that makes homeownership possible for them. The families are working more than 400 hours each building the homes as their down payment.

The alliance between Habitat for Humanity International and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans continues to build hope for low-income families amidst economic difficulties as the mortgage crisis unfolds nationwide. Since 2005, it has given more than 1,000 families an opportunity to achieve the American dream of homeownership. Nine of those families live in Habitat homes built in Lincoln.

Click here     and be sure to designate the gift to our local affiliate, Lincoln/Lancaster Habitat for Humanity, Lincoln NE