By ALLEN MINCEY

Four families will soon be residing in new homes following groundbreaking on the Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland residences this past week.

The four homes will be located in the Victory Cove subdivision, which already houses Habitat homes. The dedication was held on Franitza Way, named after a longtime Habitat volunteer, Jerry Franitza.

Memories of another Habitat volunteer, Jeff Morelock, began the event, with Executive Director Tammy Johnson remembering Morelock as a person who said “Habitat is not perfect, no human organization is, but decent housing is essential, and Habitat provides our community a hand up.”

That is the theme of Habitat for Humanity — providing a hand up, not a hand out. Four families said they were very excited, and very thankful for helping them to raise their hands in delight as they spoke of their new homes which will be built this year.

Those recipients include:

— Merilee Fyffe, a single parent and now a grandmother who was evicted from her home, struggled to find friends and family to stay with for many years, and longed for a place to come home to and be able to have visits from her children and grandchildren.

— William and Rebekah Ashe, who met at a Walmart where Rebekah worked and where William needed assistance shopping because of his vision difficulties. Due to those issues, after they married, the couple were living in an apartment which was dangerous for William. Their new home will be much safer for him.

— Kerea Westfield, another single mom who was living in government housing and wanted a better home for her and her son, Kyreece. She was determined to give him a better life, so the high school dropout passed her GED, enrolled in cosmetology school and began working full-time at Life Bridges. She and her son look forward to their new home.

— Kayla Jackson, a single mom with four children, the most recent being born in October, who currently lives in a duplex which makes it difficult for her kids, especially her daughter NaShyah, who was in a car accident as a baby and is bound to a wheelchair. The new home will provide better access for NaShyah, and give her children a safer place for them to play outside.

“They say that there’s no place like home, and as a single mom, I have raised two daughters and have received in the past six years two son-in-laws, three grandchildren and one on the way that will be here in June. I have to say that I am standing in front of a place that I will soon call my home,” Fyffe said. “I stand before you today and tell you that I can be a good homeowner … and it is an honor for me to be the recipient of the Legacy Build because I am going from homeless, which is my story, to being a homeowner. It is like leaving behind a legacy of great strength in the place of failure.”

“We have met so many people who have made such an influence in our lives, not only in this program, but those who have been encouraging us,” William Ashe said.

“This has been a journey of many months. We have been so encouraged by so many people along the way,” said Rebekah. “This new home will be such a blessing for us. Not only will it provide stability, as we will be investing in our own home that will last for years to come. This will also help my husband William, who is blind, because he will now be on one level, and not have to worry about climbing stairs that are not safe.”

“I learned about the Cleveland Habitat in 2018, but didn’t sign up until 2019, and was chosen. You have to remember that all is on God’s time and not ours,” Westfield said. “I have to let you know that you have to be determined and focused during this time in becoming a homeowner and put your all into it. I am thankful for the opportunity to become a homeowner.”

“This opportunity is really life-changing for me and my children. Many of you know that I have a daughter who is in a wheelchair and life can be very difficult for her. What this home means to us is a safe place for my children,” Jackson said. “And I am so proud to be a part of the ‘Women Build.’”

The Women Build is taking place this week as Jackson’s new home will be the first of the four to be raised. The International Women Build Week is sponsored by Habitat and Lowe’s, and is taking place in over 300 locations across the United States, Canada and India. Photos and videos of the build this week are available on the Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland Facebook page, on Instagram and through the organization’s E-Newsletter.

Several of the sponsors of the four Habitat homes were present at the recent groundbreaking, including Cathy Barrett with the Community Foundation, Frank Thaggard with Pyramid Construction and Ben Chandler with Easy Auto. A representative with the George R. Johnson Foundation was not able to be present, but that sponsor was also recognized.

“Habitat is the expert in developing quality, affordable housing and doing it in a way that really provides stability and self-reliance in the homeowners,” Barrett said. “We appreciate all the great work that Habitat does, and the huge difference they are making in our community.”

Thaggard said he considers it “a privilege to work with Habitat for Humanity, because they do such a wonderful job … and it really does my heart good to do something for them.”

“We started contributing to Habitat for Humanity back in 2005, and I asked our ownership group what about Habitat makes you be where we provide the bulk of what we provide back to our community,” Chandler said. “And what we discussed is that this is a pure investment in the community and we truly believe in the organization’s approach as a hand up in giving back.”

Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis said he participated in the Leaders Build, and it was so rewarding to him to be involved in not only promoting Habitat, but having a hands-on part in the process. He said when he has visitors to the community, he always takes them by what he called “the Habitat subdivisions.”

“Habitat shows what Cleveland and Bradley County is all about, in my opinion,” he said. “Thank you Habitat, the volunteers and the sponsors for all the hard work you are doing for others.”

Habitat Board Chair Andy Anderson stressed that volunteers are the lifeblood of the organization, and thanked all who have given time to Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland.

“To all of our volunteers, you are a part of something that is bigger than all of us,” Anderson said. “We make a difference in these people’s lives and I am proud to say that I am a part of Habitat of Cleveland.”

With the four new homes being built in 2021, that will mean that Habitat for Humanity has been involved in the building of 148 homes in its 30 years of existence, with the first being built on Starlet Circle just off Durkee Road in 1990.

Johnson said that Habitat continues through tougher times than in the past, but continues to provide these homes to these special people.

“There are already talks in the Habitat world of increases in costs of materials of 30 percent or more,” Johnson said. “And, we have had contractor delays because we are building here in Bradley County like crazy. We love that for our community, but it causes a little bit of a challenge for us.

“But so many of you have stepped up, and that encourages us. We do this for our homeowners and all of our homeowners will do 300 to 400 hours of what we call sweat equity where they volunteer to work in our Restore, and they volunteer to build their own home and they volunteer to build their neighbors homes many times. And they also have to pay back their mortgage,” Johnson explained. “But what is special is for many of our Habitat recipients, this is their first home.”