WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderLocal Habitat for Humanity volunteers team up for "Blitz Home Build"

Local Habitat for Humanity volunteers team up for "Blitz Home Build"

By Samantha Ptashkin

ROCKFORD (WREX)- Becoming a homeowner is a proud moment in any person's life and that especially rings true for two Rockford families who are helping build their homes themselves.

Every year a team of about 50 volunteers from across the country choose one Habitat for Humanity affiliate somewhere in the U.S for a "Blitz Home Build". The group leads the construction of two new homes and they do it all in just nine days.

The volunteers spend their days measuring, hammering and carving out a whole new life for one new homeowner. Single mother of three Tenika Posley can't hide her pride. It's because volunteers from all over have traveled to Rockford to personally lay down the building blocks for Tenika's new home. "It's a lot of hard work, but it's a lot of fun building homes for people as well, helping the communities we go work in," said Patrick Arland, a volunteer who flew in from Phoenix, Arizona.

The homeowners get in on the hard work as well. To qualify every person who applies must put in 300 "sweat hours". They also have a limited income. Most make just more than $28,000 a year. "It really gives them the buy in that it's their house and they personally take responsibility to keep the house up," Arland said. "It's like a dream, a dream come true. I get to purchase a home. It's a life changing experience," Posley said.

All applicants buy the home at cost. In this case that's near $60,000 for about an 1100 square foot home. Posley's home will be on Belden Street in Rockford.