by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The first five years HabiJax was in existence, the non-profit built about 20 homes a year for those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford a home. The next 14 years were much more productive for a number of reasons and this June HabiJax will mark its 1,500th home in Jacksonville.
“We are so tickled,” said Judy Hall, director of development for HabiJax. “We have to pinch ourselves to realize the community has done this. It’s phenomenal.”
To celebrate the milestone, HabiJax is holding its 1st Annual Homewarming for Humanity hosted by David and Ann Hicks and Wayne and Delores Weaver. It’s set for June 21 at the Fairgrounds. Habitat International CEO Jonathan T.M. Reckford will be in town for the event as will representatives from affiliates in Jordan, Malawi, Romania, Northern Ireland, Egypt, Uganda and Ghana. Earlier that day, HabiJax will begin construction on its 1,500th home in Jacksonville.
David Hicks is a retired executive and a member of the HabiJax board of directors while Ann Hicks is a benefactor. Hall said she met Delores Weaver when the Weavers were living in a Downtown hotel before the Jaguars came to town. She told Delores Weaver about a project HabiJax was doing with Episcopal Cathedral.
“She volunteered to come help us build,” said Hall. “She was out there sweating in the sun like the rest of us.”
HabiJax was founded locally in 1988 and a year later it completed its first home. The grassroots, volunteer-driven organization is a subsidiary of Americus, Ga.-based Habitat for Humanity International. Started by Millard and Linda Fuller in 1976, Habitat for Humanity now has a presence in all 50 states and 90 countries. Since its creation, the organization has built or rehabilitated over 225,000 homes worldwide. The homes are built using volunteer labor and donations in the form of money and materials. The homes are then sold at no profit to needy families at affordable loan rates.
Hall was head of community affairs at what was then Barnett Bank of Jacksonville when HabiJax was founded.
“We were involved in the very first home,” said Hall, who went to work for HabiJax in January 2005, just in time for one of the organization’s biggest efforts. “We built 39 homes in honor of Jacksonville hosting Super Bowl XXXIX.
Last summer, the 200,000th Habitat for Humanity home was built in Louisville, Ky., making it the top such organization in the country. In honor of the new millennium, HabiJax built 200 homes in Jacksonville in 2000.
Hall said a typical HabiJax home is about 1,100-1,200 square feet with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. She said it takes 3-4 months to build a home and each week a home is started on Wednesday and Saturday. Hall said the most important component of the HabiJax home is securing the funding. The Community Contribution Tax Credit Program was created by the State of Florida to allow businesses to help fund affordable housing throughout the state.
“Corporations that contribute receive tax incentives off their corporate taxes, sales tax or insurance premium tax,” explained Hall, adding businesses view the program as a way to leverage their contributions with government tax dollars. “It’s a wonderful way to bring sponsors to us.”
Another major player in the success of the HabiJax program is the local real estate and building industry. Hall said last summer’s 30-house blitz would not have been possible without the help of the Northeast Florida Builders Association.
“The builders and their subs (contractors) were there around the clock,” said Hall. “We did use volunteers to do the landscaping. We had incredible participation from Arnold Tritt (former NEFBA executive director and current executive advisor) and now Daniel Davis (current NEFBA executive director and City Council vice president). We rely on them for building and their expertise in land development.”
The construction costs alone — essentially the materials — run about $65,000 per HabiJax home. The other costs are less, but the modest homes are brand new and affordable.
“Our homes are typically appraised at about $100,000,” said Hall, adding the neighborhood look is taken into consideration when a home is designed. “The key is to keep the value of the properties in the neighborhoods increasing.”