STURGIS, S.D. – Samantha is the third Habitat partner family to move into her home in Sturgis in the past year. Her home dedication is on June 26 at 6pm.
Samantha, a longtime resident of Sturgis, has been an employee of Black Hills Special Services for over a decade. Samantha and her sister, Sabrina (who lives right around the corner and is also employed at Black Hills Special Services), were both approved for the Homeownership program and will be close neighbors. Samantha’s direct neighbor, Richard, also celebrated his home dedication this month.
A home dedication is the culminating event in the life of a Black Hills Area Habitat partner family on their journey to homeownership. To get to this point, they had to meet income requirements, demonstrate need, and each adult family member completes 250 hours of sweat equity, which includes volunteering time on construction sites, in a ReStore location, and attending required financial and homeownership classes. They then pay off their affordable mortgages with monthly housing expenses (mortgage, real estate taxes, and homeowners’ insurance) that do not exceed 30% of their gross income.
Samantha originally applied for a traditional bank loan and qualified. However, she soon found the loan she qualified for was not enough to purchase a home. Less expensive houses in “as-is” condition (meaning the seller will not make any enhancements to the home) didn’t meet the bank’s requirement for livability. The loan would also not cover livable trailer houses. This experience left Samantha “feeling pretty grim.” For years she had alternated living in rentals and living with her father. She felt uncertain about her future.
Then a co-worker told Samantha about her daughter’s positive experience with Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity. Samantha applied, and when she got the call saying she had qualified for a Habitat home, she knew her future was about to change. “It was amazing. I was so excited,” she said. “I hadn’t been sure owning a home could be a reality for me. I’m a lot happier now about what my future looks like.”
Funding for Samantha’s home came from affordable housing organizations in addition to Black Hills Area Habitat funding. SDHDA Housing Opportunity Fund (HOF) grant for down payment assistance awarded to (Habitat) provided an additional down payment grant. GROW South Dakota funds were also utilized for the purchase of Samantha’s home.
In addition to these supporting programs, Habitat relies on individual donors along with faith communities, foundations, and corporations who each provide layers of financial support that ensure homes are affordable for every future homeowner. The gap between what homes cost, their market value, and what many people can afford is only growing, and Habitat needs more partnerships to expand and assist increasing numbers of people in need of affordable homeownership.
In total, 90 volunteers worked on the three Habitat builds that were completed within the past year. They put in 3,832 hours of volunteer labor. Faithful donors gave over $31,000 and provided an over $12,000 in in-kind donations.
“The Sturgis community and surrounding area rallied in support of our Sturgis partner families,” said Scott Engmann, Black Hills Area Habitat Executive Director. “Without our volunteers and donors, our work would not be possible. Since our founding in 1990, more than 715 people have been strengthened through affordable homeownership and critical home repairs. A decent home gives families the strength, stability, and independence they need to create a better life for themselves and their families. This strengthens the entire community.”
“The mission of Black Hills Special Services Cooperative is to build stronger communities by helping individuals and organizations reach their full potential, said Dr. Joe Hauge, Executive Director, Black Hills Special Services Cooperative. “For over four decades, Black Hills Special Services Cooperative has been a partner with the Sturgis community to provide services and employment that strengthen and enhance our local community.”
Engmann added Black Hills Area Habitat is open to additional Habitat homes in Sturgis and the surrounding areas. “We are seeking partners to continue our work throughout the Black Hills,” he said. “It takes a combination of land, availability of partner families, commitment from local government, and donors to ensure our Black Hills citizens have an affordable and decent place to call home.”
