JONAS RIDGE — At a 2 p.m. ceremony on Sunday, April 7, volunteers, supporters, board members and staff from Avery Habitat for Humanity came together with Jessica Clark and her son DJ for their house dedication. This home was the 53rd home that Avery Habitat for Humanity has dedicated since its beginning in 1991.
Clark works as a family service worker for both Avery County Early Head Start and High Country Head Start, which she has worked at for the past six years. Her son DJ is in the first grade and attends Crossnore Elementary School in Newland.
According to Melanie Burgin, director of Avery Habitat for Humanity, Clark has to complete a minimum of 250 “sweat equity hours” over the course of the project. Some of her immediate family members helped her reach this goal by assisting on the house site itself, as well as in the ReStore and in the administrative office.
Family partners, or the individuals who will be receiving the house, are also required to have a financial counseling session with a HUD-certified counselor as well as attend financial classes. These consist of how to “pay down” debts, build credit, budget for the household and save for emergencies.
The Clark home was built on land in Jonas Ridge in Burke County and took two years to build, in part because of COVID delaying the start of the process, as well as delays in receiving the necessary supplies. Clark first applied at the Habitat for Humanity affiliate in Morganton, but they explained they wouldn’t be able to get their volunteers up the mountain to work. However, the director suggested Clark talk to the Avery County Habitat for Humanity to see if they were able to do the work. “It just made sense for Avery Habitat to build this house,” Burgin said. “It’s not so far for our volunteers to travel to Jonas Ridge.”
The Service of Dedication and Blessing is a tradition for Avery Habitat and is done for every family who receives a house. It is traditionally held right before or after the family has moved inside the home. Clark and her son moved in right before Christmas, according to Burgin, but the dedication was delayed until after the winter months due to weather concerns. Those involved gathered and prayed while a local minister blessed the house.
With minimal affordable housing options in Avery County, Burgin believes that Avery Habitat for Humanity is important as the only affordable housing builder in the area.
Along with the continued effort to increase the number of houses they build each year, Avery Habitat will be having a Blitz Build on May 4 and 5 in the Milford Meadows community in Elk Park, where the organization will build an entire house in two days. Burgin says any financial help with this project is appreciated.
Avery Habitat is not currently taking any volunteers to help build, but there is a waiting list that is available. For more information about Avery County Habitat for Humanity, call (828) 733-1909 or email info@averycohfh.org. To see Habitat’s current activities, visit the organization’s Facebook page or website at www.averycohfh.org.
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