His new home may be small but fourth-year Northeast Florida Builders Association apprentice student Brent Hume has more gadgets packed into it than most homes twice its size. It’s a lot like the deck of the Star Ship Enterprise on the old television series, “Star Trek.”
Doors between rooms are pocket doors. The bedroom, just two steps up from the living room gives the appearance of a loft and can be closed off by an automated screen.
The couch is motorized to make a chaise lounge on one end. The dining table folds into the wall. And, the bed is, of course, a Murphy bed.
The “home” is a condo - to be exact, a “expandominium” at the Ravines golf course community near Middleburg.
Hume is quite proud of all the mechanized space-savers. He’s a fourth-year electrical student employed by Allstate Electrical Contractors.
Carmel Morris, president of Allstate, has been dubbed the apprentice program’s “godfather” for his role in the development of the program, and he continues to support it by providing jobs for trainees.
Hume learned from a co-worker and apprentice program graduate about how NEFBA’s program helps fourth-year students and recent graduates purchase a home, in addition to providing paid training in a highly marketable construction trade.
Hume, a graduate of Middleburg High School, was looking for a place to live near home and within his budget.
“I knew there were some condominiums here at the Ravines, and I decided to check them out,” he said. “This one was just what I was looking for.”
Hume said the condos range in price from $50,000 to the $150,000s. He moved into his 800-square-foot home just a few weeks ago, thanks to the housing grant from the apprentice program.
Funds from the M.O. “Bill” Soforenko Affordable Housing Grant enabled Hume to meet the down payment requirement to purchase a new home.
Soforenko believed in affordable housing. Much of his life centered on ensuring housing was affordable and available, allowing people with moderate incomes the opportunity to share the American dream of home ownership.
In his honor, the Northeast Florida Builders Association offers the grant to NEFBA apprentices and recent graduates.
“The job market is very competitive today and we were looking for an additional way to take care of our own,” said Keith Ward, NEFBA training vice president. “These grants allow our family members a little better opportunity to become homeowners.”
The executive board started the grant program with a $5,000 contribution that was matched by NEFBA member Fred King. Additional funds are appropriated each year.
An obstacle to qualifying for a home loan is the down payment, said Laura Laseman, NEFBA training director.
“I don’t know of any other company in our area that offers anything comparable,” Laseman said. “We pair the apprentice with the available financing program for which he or she best qualifies. We want to put people in homes so we work with them to find the loan program that suits the student’s particular circumstances.”
Laseman said that sometimes a small amount of money stands between the borrower and the lending institution, and that’s where the Soforenko Affordable Housing Grant can make the difference.
Students who have completed a minimum of two years in the NEFBA apprentice program and recent graduates are eligible for the grants. The grant money can be used for any cost associated with the first-time purchase of a new or existing single-family residence. The down payment, closing costs, points, origination fees and other similar costs can be paid with grant funds.