Habitat for Humanity picks up Clovis-area volunteers

Habitat for Humanity of Roosevelt and Curry Counties picked up an additional seven or eight volunteers from the Clovis area during Tuesday’s orientation meeting in Curry County.

“We were given a lot on Hinkle Street,” said Sandra Hidalgo, vice president of the local Habitat for Humanity. “We thought it would benefit Habitat, so it was donated to this affiliate.”

During the orientation meeting, president Joyce Davis described the need for local committee members in accomplishing the building of a Habitat for Humanity home.

“Habitat for Humanity needs to function by committee,” she said. “We need to have a site selection committee for Clovis. It would be good if we had people who were involved in real estate or people who know property values to be on this committee.”

Davis said a construction committee also needs to be formed.

“We really need a construction manager in Clovis,” she said. “And we ought to have a site manager as well. It would be good if they were involved in the construction industry or retired from it. It’s a lot of organization — working with the volunteers and making sure the construction materials are there.”

Another critical committee is the family selection committee, Davis said.

“It’s critical we find people willing to be involved in it with us,” she said. “They must be willing to put in 500 hours of ‘sweat equity’ on the home. They have to be able to pay the mortgage, but the programs we have can reduce the monthly payments to make it very affordable.”

One of the new volunteers at the meeting, Jennifer Kimberly, asked about the family selection process.

“Before you build the house, you already have a family selected?” she said.

Davis said yes because it would determine the qualities that house would have built into it, such as wheelchair accessibility.

Other committees needed were: family support committee should any problems arise or repairs needed to be done; development committee to raise funds to be able to build a house; and a public relations committee.

“One of our big challenges has been making connections with people,” Davis said. “We need help in that area.”

One of the new volunteers, Carolyn Reed, said she was ready to get started.

“We just need to know where you want us and what you want us to do,” she said.

The ultimate goal of Habitat for Humanity is to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness by constructing and building adequate and basic housing.

The first Habitat for Humanity home in Portales was built earlier this year in March by the local affiliate.