From staff reports:
Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County celebrated the completion of its 36th rehabbed or repaired home in Federal Way’s Westway neighborhood at a dedication ceremony March 8.
Tom Granger, Habitat SKC’s senior vice president of programs and development handed over the keys to the newly renovated home to a very excited and grateful Ingrid Erickson and her four children.
“This is a both a dream and a goal coming true for me,” Erickson said. “Truly, next to my kids being born into my life, I cannot think of a positive change that has impacted me more than this.”
The Erickson home received all new plumbing and electrical, a new roof and driveway, new energy efficient furnace, hot water heater and appliances, cabinets, paint, refinished hardwood floors, landscaping and other exterior work.
A team of dedicated volunteers contributed thousands of hours of labor over seven months. Erickson herself contributed 200 hours of sweat equity to her home (while her mother babysat her children) as well as other Habitat SKC projects as a requirement for becoming a Habitat homeowner. She also completed homeowner trainings on topics such as budgeting and home repair.
BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS:
Westway was once a HUD award-winning national benchmark for affordable home ownership but was hard hit by the recession, resulting in a growing number of foreclosed and vacant homes. In recent years it had become blighted. Vacancies, disrepair, and crime were prevalent. Habitat SKC began renovating homes in Westway as part of its neighborhood revitalization effort with the Build the Bridge Coalition, a group of civic, business, education and nonprofit organizations.
From 2005-2011, 32 homes were repaired or rehabbed. Building on this success, the City of Federal Way awarded a Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) grant to Habitat SKC to acquire and renovate 14 more vacant or foreclosed homes over three years.
To date, seven homes have been acquired and the Erickson home is the fourth of the 14 to be completed. Renovations are under way on three other homes.
Learn more
Visit www.habitatskc.org.
