Transform Chattanooga

Baja Dalla receives the keys to his new home earlier this year. His story, and the details of the effort to build his home are detailed in a film to be shown at a national revitalization conference

Though construction of the Habitat for Humanity home built in Chattanooga’s Southside last year has been completed for several months, its impact continues through a locally produced film that will be shown at the National Brownfields Conference in New Orleans on November 17.

Main Street: More than a Home, by Dave Porfiri and Linda Duvoisin of Chattanooga based film and television production company Mindflow Media , documents the construction of the first Habitat for Humanity home in Chattanooga to be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.  It also touches on the inspiring story of Baja Dalla who lost his family in the genocide in the Sudan, grew to adulthood in a refugee camp, fell in love, was married, and now has found a new home in Chattanooga, thanks to the generosity of the Southside Community.

“This event is the most comprehensive conference on environmental revitalization and economic redevelopment in the nation,” says Pete Palmer, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga.  “The Southside build was a special experience for everyone involved.  I am confident that the film will touch many hearts, and will encourage others to initiate change in their communities.  It is a real honor for our community, and particularly for Dave and Linda to have this film shown at such an important conference.”

More information about the conference is available at www.brownfieldsconference.org.  Information about the  filmmakers is available at www.mindflowmedia.com.  Film details are available at www.greeninghabitat.org.  Baja Dalla’s story is available at www.transformchattanooga.org.  More information about Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga is available at www.habichatt.org.

Mildred and Carroll Fox

As members of First Baptist Church gather on Bill Reed Road in Ooltewah to start a Habitat build this weekend, Carroll and Mildred Fox will be in their thoughts.

During the formative years of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga, Carroll was actively involved building homes alongside fellow members of First Baptist Church, and in providing leadership for Habitat’s efforts through serving on the board of directors, and for a term as president of the organization.  Carroll continued to volunteer despite health challenges and the death of his wife, Mildred.  Though illness put him on the sidelines several years ago, he kept in touch with Habitat’s progress through friends and fellow volunteers until his death earlier this year.

“Carroll was a dedicated supporter of Habitat’s work,” says Pete Palmer, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area.   “His work on the jobsite and in building the organization laid a strong foundation for Habitat’s continued work in Chattanooga.   I’m sure that both he and Mildred would be delighted to have their name associated with the construction of a home for a young couple who have struggled with housing.”

Construction of the home for Zachary and Christy Hullender and their two children will start October 17, and continue for the next 16 weeks, not counting the upcoming holidays.  The project will make a tremendous difference in this young family’s life.

Prior to the start of their new Habitat home, the Hullenders lived in a rundown trailer with serious mold problems, and unsafe aluminum wiring that would catch fire.  Their daughter was often burned by the space heaters the family had to use in the winter time.   All four of them were forced to sleep in one room because of a hole in the ceiling of the only other bedroom, and the only toilet in the trailer was falling through the floor.

The Hullenders have always wanted to have something better for their children, but felt like they had no hope being so young and with the economy in turmoil.   After hearing about Habitat for Humanity from Zachary’s mother, they applied to be a partner family and found hope that they would soon have a home of their own.

“My children are still very small, but I know they are going to love having a new home, to have a room all their own, a place big enough for them to play,” Christy says.  The family is excited to have their dream coming true, and wants others to also feel the joy of their own dreams being fulfilled. Christy plans to volunteer to help build another family’s home, so that she can make a difference in someone else’s life in the same way Habitat has done for her and her family.

“We are grateful for the support of First Baptist church in building this home in memory of the Foxes,” says Palmer.  “It is a privilege to work with them to bless the Hullander family, and honor the memory of two people who have  made a tremendous difference in our community through their service.”

Main Street: More than a Home, a local film by Mindflow Media, will be featured at the Brownfields Film Festival on Tuesday, November 17th.  The film follows the story of the construction of one of Habitat for Humanity’s first LEED Certified Homes in Tennessee.

The Wilkinson Group, developers of the Pinnacle Condominiums on Stringers Ridge have generously donated a portion of process from recent unit sales in support of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area, Inc.’s homeownership program.

Phil Deguire, right, presents a check to Pete Palmer, Habitat's director

“We are tremendously grateful for the $20,000 in operating support that the Wilkinson Group has given to our program,” says Pete Palmer, Habitat’s Executive Director.  “While Habitat focuses on building homes for families, there are many behind the scenes aspects beyond the costs of simply building the house.  Educating families for home ownership, shepherding them through build process, and working with them over the 30 year life of their zero interest mortgage, are as crucial as the actual construction of their home.”

“To have such a supportive partnership with a local business as we do with Wilkinson Group provides significant encouragement to the work we are doing at Habitat. Obviously, the funding support certainly makes a difference. But also of importance, their support offers evidence of the resonance of Habitat for Humanity’s work in the Chattanooga community. It is one more outlet for our message of the need for our city to focus on developing affordable housing, especially in this down economy.”

“The Wilkinson Group is very pleased to be a contributor to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga.  Pete Palmer, Sumner McCallie and the rest of the Habitat team are doing great things in Chattanooga.  We look forward to expanding our relationship with this fantastic organization in the future,”  says Phil Deguire, Chief Executive Officer of The Wilkinson Companies.

“To tell you why I’m so happy and grateful for Habitat, you have to know where my family and I have been for many years.”  For the last twelve years Carey Glass and her three children have lived in turmoil, never being totally sure from one day to the next if they would have a place to call home.  It was during this tumultuous time in Carey’s life that her husband, while under the influence of alcohol, would verbally and physically abuse Carey and her children, oftentimes kicking them out of ‘his house.’ “I knew I had to take the next step and move out for good.  I wanted my children to have a sense of security.  I wanted to provide a good home for them.”

After finding a place to rent, Carey decided to give Habitat for Humanity a call.  Carey filled out an application, gathered all of the necessary paperwork and met with Connie O’Neal, Director of Family Services.  What a glorious day when Carey received notice that she and her family were accepted into the program at Habitat for Humanity!

Carey’s current living conditions are less than desirable.  With only makeshift heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer, winters are very cold and summers are very hot.  Moreover, Carey’s neighbors do not appreciate her musically talented and expressive children.  Their creativity is regularly stifled by the neighbors’ banging on the walls of their duplex.

A Habitat home means much more to Carey than just a place to call home.  “No one will be kicking us out ever again!”  Carey will be able to experience the safety and security a home should provide and her children will have the opportunity to not only pursue their musical talents but to also have a quiet place to study, free from the stress and worries they once knew.  With a Habitat home they will be able to enjoy the carefree life of just being a kid!

“An organization like Habitat has to stay around.  I always wanted to be that someone who could give money to help others less fortunate, but now I realize I can help others like me get a home of their own through becoming a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.

Thanks to the support of McCallie and GPS students, alumni and faculty, construction of the Glass family’s home is now underway!

Dennis Neal, Director of Construction at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area, Inc. has completed the requirements required to become a LEED Accredited Professional in residential construction.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies to increase  energy and  water use efficiency, decrease CO₂ emissions, improve indoor environmental quality, and that includes stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

“We are proud of Dennis for his success on the challenging LEED AP- Home accreditation exam,” says Pete Palmer, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga.  “Under his leadership, our organization has been working to incorporate greener building practices through the Energy Star and Earthcraft building processes over the last several years.   With his accreditation as a LEED AP, we are better now positioned to build homes that are healthier for the environment and that better serve the needs of our families.”

“It is rewarding to have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our partner families,” says Neal.  “During my time at Habitat, we have been working to improve the quality and energy efficiency of the homes we build.  The LEED AP-Home accreditation process has equipped me with knowledge that will help us improve the efficiency of the homes we build, and help them have less impact on the environment.”

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED standards and building certifications provide building owners and operators, as well as home or commercial property buyers with a concise framework for understanding effective green building practices, as well recognition for building professionals who understand  and can implement these methods.

LEED, Chattanooga, LEED Builders Chattanooga, LEED AP-Home, www.habichatt.org, Dennis Neal, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga, Inc., www.transformchattanooga.org

The McCallie chapter of Habitat for Humanity began work on its 13th Chattanooga-based house this weekend and the group rekindled student interest and energy by introducing the Upper School to the owner whose family will be moving into their finished project.

The homeowner-to-be, an employee at Memorial Hospital and mother of three teens, will be on site with her children helping the students as the house goes from foundation to completion over the course of a few months’ worth of consistent weekend work by students from McCallie and Girls Preparatory School. She introduced herself to the students and expressed her gratitude for the work about to be done to give her and her children something she’d always hoped for but had never quite been able to attain: a home of their own, and all of the feelings of safety and stability that go with it.”Construction started Saturday in the warehouse where our under-16 year olds will build wall frames,” said Sumner McCallie, the long-time faculty advisor to the group. “We’ll take lengths of 2×4s along with door frames and window frames and using a pattern will put together sections that will become the walls to the house. Work will involve lots and lots of hammering. The segments we construct will be 6-15 feet in length. We’ll build them on table frames and then move them to the side of the warehouse for storage until the next Saturday when they will be what we erect on site as the walls.”

Work on site in St. Elmo — 57th and Alabama at the base of Lookout Mountain — will begin in two weeks when alumnus Eric Haralson ‘65 comes down from Knoxville to help with completing and raising the outside walls. Mr. Haralson has been a valuable and enduring help to McCallie’s Habitat chapter over the years, officials said.

Dedication of the home is planned for Dec. 12.

“Over the course of the build, students will have the chance to frame and roof the house, build porches and sheds, hang siding and soffitting, install insulation, mount baseboards, paint, and finish with doors and fixtures,” said Mr. McCallie.

McCallie’s chapter received a $10,000 grant from State Farm last year, the only high school chapter to receive such a large amount. Members of the organization will travel to Chicago in October to speak at the annual Youth Leadership Conference.

In addition, the chapter took two Global Village trips, one to El Salvador last spring break, and one this summer to Argentina.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga today [July 1, 2009] announced the appointment of Pete Palmer as Executive Director.  “Pete has demonstrated commitment, leadership and ability to direct the Chattanooga Habitat affiliate in fulfilling its mission to give tangible expression to the love of God through the work of eliminating poverty housing,” stated Chip Lusk, Chair of the Board’s Search Committee.

Palmer has been associated with Chattanooga Habitat since 1997, serving on the executive committee and most recently as board president.  Prior to retiring from Regions Bank, he worked with Habitat to secure funding for housing at Fairview Park, Habitat Square and Shepherd Park.  Additionally, Palmer serves as a director on the boards of the Chattanooga Community Development Housing Organization and the Friends of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.

“I am blessed to be part of a ministry which brings diverse groups of people together to make affordable housing and better communities a reality for everyone,” said Palmer.  “We have a terrific, hard working staff who is passionate about Habitat.  Over the next year, we plan to enhance our homeowner education program, renovate our ReStore to expand its operations, and train additional work crew leaders to increase our annual construction capacity.  Currently, we are building three houses with a fourth about to start.  We are deeply grateful to our local foundations, businesses, churches, schools and individuals for partnering with us in our efforts to transform lives, one home at a time.”

We wrote about the partnership between Habitat and the Chattanooga Housing Authority that helped Allie become a homeowner in a previous post, but here is more about her story.

“The Lord has truly blessed me,” says Allie Cisco.  “I never thought that I would have a place of my own.”  Life has not always been easy for Allie, but, through the ministry of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga, and blessings from God above, brighter days are ahead for Allie and her three children.

As a child, Allie took on more responsibility than one should expect.  Her mother worked evenings, leaving her alone to care for her two younger brothers.  “It made me not want to have children because I didn’t want to leave them home alone.”  At the age of 18, however, Allie had her first child.  Though determined to continue her education after graduating from high school, Allie quickly realized that working, going to college and taking care of a child was just too much.

Not many months later, Allie’s father became seriously ill and she decided to move in with him to not only ensure that he received his daily medications, but to also provide him with a clean home and healthy meals.  Allie found comfort in caring for her dad since he truly had been the only stabilizing force in her life while growing up.  After a period of time, Allie’s siblings left their mother’s home and also moved in with their father.  Since he would no longer be living alone, Allie felt comfortable trying to make it on her own once again.  Despite being several months pregnant and having a toddler in tow, Allie determinedly stood in line at the Section 8 housing office for over 7 hours in order to receive her housing voucher.  Tragically, only a few short months later, Allie’s father passed away.  This fact weighs heavily on Allie, always wondering had she continued living with and caring for her father, would he have survived his illness?

Allie has lived in an apartment for the past two years with her three children.  While being able to make it on her own is satisfying, she says it is a constant battle to get the landlord to provide the needed maintenance on their apartment.  The most serious issue is a recurring sewage backup in her bathroom.  “My children can’t even take baths in our own apartment for fear the water will back up.”  The majority of her lighting fixtures do not work forcing her to use one lamp in the apartment and her utility bills are high due to inefficient wall heating units and the lack of insulation.  “During the winter, I constantly have to watch the kids so they don’t burn themselves on the heaters.”

Since becoming a Habitat Partner Family, Allie has faith that her hard work will make a tremendous difference in her and her children’s lives.  In addition to being committed to her job at Regis Distribution, Allie is one of Habitat for Humanity’s most dependable, hard-working Partner Families.  “I’m not going to take for granted what the Lord has put in my path.  This is an opportunity to provide a safe and secure place for me and my children to live.  My son can’t wait to paint and put up racing cars on the walls of his room!  I love my children so much and will continue to do my best for them.”  Allie is very grateful for the opportunity to not only help herself, but to also help others achieve the dream of one day owning their own home.