Ned Owens Details "2009 Lutheran Build" Plan

     To get something done, you need to get excited enough to do it. Doing something for others does that, Ned Owens began. He was he speaker for Men s 710 Breakfast and Speaker Fellowship in Silverhill for November and he was recruiting!

     Ned Owens, advocate for the 2009 Lutheran Build with Habitat for Humanity of Baldwin County, shared breakfast and the vision for Lutherans in the next build project with Habitat scheduled in January in Robertsdale. - Click to enlarge.

     Owens is working on the 2009 Lutheran Build for Habitat for Humanity in Baldwin County. Habitat is a Christian-based program which assists in building affordable housing for those who do not qualify for a typical home, but there are strings attached. We don t give houses away, Owens emphasized. Partner families and volunteers work together building simple, decent, quality homes. It is the donation base with its money and materials which keep houses affordable.

     Habitat basically sells the house to a partner family through no interest affordable mortgages. The partner family demonstrates ability to pay, has a need for housing help, and invests 400 hours to develop sweat equity in the home, and it makes a down payment. By the time the family moves into its new home, the family typically has about $30,000 of equity in that home.

     Habitat for Humanity in Baldwin has 75 homes on the drawing boards for 2009. It builds two, three, and four bedroom units, depending on respective family needs. On face evaluation, it sounds like this kind of program might not work, but Owens noted that since 1992, only two houses have been reclaimed by Habitat. The 2009 Lutheran Build project will construct a four bedroom unit in Robertsdale.

     So where do the building funds come from? Not the government! Not national organizations! The funds come from Christ-based organizations right here. In the case of Thrivent for Lutherans, a fraternal insurance company working with Lutherans, it has assisted local projects to the tune of 250 homes around the country in 2008, Owens advised. Not only that, but the Baldwin program tithes on the funds it raises in Baldwin. That ten percent is designated for work outside the U.S. As for the mortgage money loaned locally by Habitat--that stays right here and is recycled to produce more Habitat homes.

     Ned Owens invites the faith community to get involved with this Habitat building program. He can be reached by phone at (251) 978-0930 or by e-mail [njowens14(at)aol.com]. Additional information concerning Habitat for Humanity of Baldwin County can be obtained by going to its website. Habitat's Family Services Coordinator, Pat Smith, is available at (251) 943-7268 or e-mail at [pats(at)baldwinhabitat.org].