Chattanooga Association of Realtors (CAR) and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga (HabiChatt) announced plans for groundbreaking ceremonies set for Tuesday, August 3, for a house to be the future home of a Brainerd minister and his family.

The groundbreaking is set for 1 p.m. at the site of the Realtor Habitat house at 5443 Bunch Street in HabiChatt’s Shepherd Park development.

The house is the first Habitat house to be built by CAR which set out to raise $45,000 in 45 minutes at its July luncheon to build one house and wound up with $112,000 – enough for two homes, and almost half enough for a third.

The Realtors are providing volunteer labor to build the house, signing up to work is shifts on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays starting on Wednesday, August 4. The construction phase of the project is scheduled throough November 13.

The new house will be the home of Carlos Betancourt, a Brainerd Baptist minister, his wife, Sylvia, and two daughters, Demaris and Gabriella, from Quito, Ecuador.

Raising more than twice the goal set for a Habitat house “made me really proud to be a Realtor,” said Kathy Tucker, president of CAR. “We knew we would raise a lot, but had no idea we would raise that much. This is the first time our association has taken on the challenge to build a Habitat for Humanity home.”

Realtor’s livelihood is placing people in homes, noted Ms. Tucker. “Our membership was thrilled to realize that we have helped a family attain the American Dream. We want this to be an ongoing project . . . it is a wonderful way to give back to the community.”

The first Realtor-sponsored home will be in HabiChatt’s most ambitious development, the Shepherd Park community which will eventually have at least 40 homes. HabiChatt plans to build at least 12 houses a year in the community, said Gail Pollock, HabiChatt executive director.

The HabiChatt subdivision is located off Shepherd Road near Highway 153 and Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport.

CAR volunteers are scheduled to begin work on flooring on Aug. 4, said Jack Riggar, HabiChatt resource director. Walls have already been built in the organization’s large warehouse-workshop area where volunteers construct wall sections during the winter months.

“I’m unbelievably proud of what we did,” said Jason Farmer, who headed up the association’s fundraising efforts. “There were 350 people in the room, and I don’t think that there was a person who didn’t give. The atmosphere was electric.”

The most satisfying thing, noted Mr. Farmer, is giving deserving families an opportunity to experience something they might never attain–home ownership. “As a group, realtors are very close to what homeownership means to people,” he said.

“I have never seen an outpouring of love and generosity like I witnessed at the luncheon,” said Ms. Pollock. “I was truly overwhelmed.”

The partnership with the local association is ground breaking, added Ms. Pollock. “Never in our 17 year history has so much been raised so quickly by any group to build Habitat homes in Chattanooga. This is also the first Realtor built house in Chattanooga.”

“Everyone in the Realtor community opened their check books and hearts,” said Don Wallis, president of the board of HabiChatt “It was really extraordinary. They set the standard for other businesses and industries as far as generosity.”

The Chattanooga Association of Realtors serves more than 1,300 members and is the fourth largest Realtor association in Tennessee.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater-Chattanooga, Inc, affiliated with Habitat for Humanity International, is a non-profit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry seeking to eliminate poverty housing in Chattanooga. Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need.

To date 160 homes have been completed in Chattanooga and more are under construction. Globally, Habitat for Humanity affiliates have built more than 150,000 houses, providing more than 750,000 people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter.

About 18 homes such as these have been built by HabiChatt in the Shepherd Park community just off Highway 153 near Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport.
- Photo2 by Irby Park