Episcopal Bridgebuilders Coalition Welcomes Habitat for Humanity to Stamford with a Community Picnic
Over 150 picnickers enjoyed plenty of home-cooked food and sunshine on Sunday, July 13, 2008 at the Episcopal Bridgebuilders Family Barbecue on the grounds of St. Luke's Episcopal Parish in Darien. Episcopal Bridgebuilders, which is a coalition of 11 Fairfield County Episcopal Churches that works in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County to build houses for low-income families, was celebrating the final zoning board approval for Habitat's eight unit condominium development, "West Main Street Commons," which will be built in Stamford later this year.
The group heard Sandy Blanchard, Interim CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County, explain how the Habitat home building model works. Building costs are kept as low as possible by the use of volunteer labor wherever possible. Home purchase candidates are selected from working families who earn between 30% and 50% of the area median income (for 2008, this is between $35,350 and $58,900 for a family of four.) The selected families commit to 500 hours of sweat equity on Habitat projects. The homes are sold to the families at cost, with no down payment and zero-percent interest mortgage, making monthly payments affordable.
The picnickers also heard from several of the families who will be moving into the new Stamford homes, who spoke movingly about how much it means to them to have their own home to plan and look forward to.
The Episcopal Bridgebuilders Churches (St. Luke's, Darien; Christ Church, Greenwich; St. Mark's, New Canaan; Grace Church and St. Paul's Church, Norwalk; St. Paul's, Riverside; St. Matthew's, Wilton; and four Stamford churches: Christ the Healer, St. Andrew's, St. Francis, and St. John's.) have already raised over $140,000 to support the building of Habitat for Humanity homes in Stamford and will provide volunteers to help with construction of the project.
