DeKalb family ‘looks forward to having home of our own’

DeKALB – Jesse Harris has always wanted his own house, and with his fiancée pregnant with their first child, he is looking forward to settling into their first home together by Christmas.

Harris is the recipient of the fifteenth house built by Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County, located at 410 S. First St. in DeKalb.

When completed, the ranch house will be 1,250 square feet and have five bedrooms and three bathrooms. The house will be one story but will have a furnished basement.

Harris will move into the house with his fiancée Natalie Fredrickson, their baby and Fredrickson’s four children and granddaughter.

“We’ve had quite a hard life, and we’re looking forward to having a home of our own,” Harris said. “We’re already thinking about decorations and what we want where in the house.”

Habitat is not a home giveaway program. In addition to a down payment and monthly mortgage payments, Habitat homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor, or sweat equity, into building their house.

Constructing Habitat for Humanity homes is not new for Harris – this will be the fourth house he helped build. His mother was also the recipient of a Habitat house.

“I’m glad to help out people in need,” he said. “I did construction myself for a while, so I know firsthand what it takes to build a home. It’s hard work and skill, and I know Habitat does a great job.”

Construction on the house is underway, with Harris helping volunteers build the home every Saturday. Trade professionals, such as electricians and plumbers, work on the house during the week. Construction is expected to be completed late November.

Through volunteer labor, and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds houses with the help of homeowner partner families. Upon completion, Habitat houses are sold to the partner family at no profit and financed by a no-interest loan. The homeowners’ monthly mortgage payments are used to build future Habitat houses.

The house is partially funded by Thrivent Financial, about half the cost. However, with rising lumber and labor costs, the house is already $30,000 over budget. The house will cost an estimated $165,000 to build.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 12

Volunteer general contractor John Horst helps build the 15th Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County house in DeKalb. Construction on the house is planned to be completed by late November. (Katrina Milton)

“Donations will help a ton, and we need some major contributors,” Habitat’s executive director Roy Smith said. “Usually church groups are our biggest support, but with the pandemic, they’re having troubles of their own.”

Volunteers help build the house on Saturdays, and lunches and water could be donated to help support them as they work throughout the day.

“We have a good core group of volunteers but could always use people to help,” Smith said.

Marshall Boyle, Habitat’s volunteer coordinator and director of fundraising, said that “the greatest need is for donors.”

“Even if it’s $10 or they know about a grant, donations are needed,” Boyle said. “We need donors for every build, but especially this year because the price of lumber has tripled to quintupled in price. Trestles cost $3,000 last year and cost $11,000 this year.”

Smith said that he receives three to five phone calls or emails a week from people asking for help and inquiring about a Habitat house.

“Helping one family and building one house a year is feasible right now, but we’d love to help more,” he said. “It’s all about donations and sponsors.”

De Austin, the recipient of last year’s Habitat house in Sycamore, volunteers on Saturdays to help build the new house.

“The new house has the exact same design as mine, so it’s almost nostalgic to help with the build,” she said. “It feels great to help out and give back. So many people helped us out last year, I think it’s important to volunteer. Volunteering and donating is vitality important. It’s what makes the program possible.”

Harris said he is “grateful and thankful for all Habitat for Humanity has already done” for his family.

“I know that having our own home wouldn’t be possible without Habitat,” Harris said. “I want to say thank you to everyone that donated or volunteered because it’s very greatly appreciated. I’d thank you in person if I could, but I don’t know a lot of those that were involved. Thank you, I really, really appreciate it.”

For more information about Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County or to donate or volunteer, visit https://www.habitat.org/us-il/sycamore/hfh-dekalb-county, call 815-991-5341 or email hfhdekalbcounty@gmail.com.