Download the application and return to the office at anytime!

One of the most important criteria Habitat looks at in the application process is a family’s need for decent and affordable housing. Another is the family’s ability to pay the mortgage and utilities for a Habitat home. Habitat homes are provided to qualified families who are able to afford a zero-interest, 20-year mortgage.

“An important requirement of the program that applicants are able to be active partners,” said Logsdon. “A single adult is required to complete at least 250 hours of ‘sweat equity’ towards the construction of their home and the homes of other Habitat families. A family with two or more adults is required to complete at least 500 hours of sweat equity.” Participants must also participate in a monthly homeowner education seminar on subjects ranging from home repairs to budgeting. The goal of the program is to ease the transition from having a landlord to being a homeowner.

Logsdon notes that “Habitat is dependent on funding from the community to help continue building decent and affordable housing for Clarksville and Montgomery County.  Our housing ministry could not exist without the generous support of many community partners over the years and in the future.”

“Habitat has been building homes in here for over 20 years and yet there are still misconceptions about us in the community,” said Logsdon. “We are offering a hand up and not a hand out for our partner families through the pride involved with homeownership. No one should have to live in substandard housing and we continue to work to eliminate that in Clarksville and Montgomery County.”

Download the application and return to the office at anytime!

Habitat for Humanity is an equal opportunity housing lender and does not discriminate in the financing of homes based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or familial status.

Clarksville residents can continue helping “Cans for Homes” by donating cans, clothes, shoes, purses, linens and even stuffed animals. Cans for Homes coordinators request that all donated items be placed in a plastic shopping bag. The proceeds raised will go toward helping build a local Montgomery County family a home. This is a permanent project for our Clarksville community as a whole. Drop-off locations include:

1. Clarksville Habitat ReStore located in downtown Clarksville at 408 Madison St.
2. C&L Recycling located at 123 Denny Road near Sango Wal-Mart
   (be sure to let them know it’s for Habitat)
3. St. Bethlehem Christian Church at 280 Dunbar Cave Road.

Cans for Homes is very excited about this most recent partnership with Bi-County Solid Waste Management and is looking to partner with many other organizations in the community. You can learn more about Cans for Homes on their Facebook page.

A special thank you is due to the youth from Grace Community Church Remix/Mix and Interact Club Clarksville (Rotary) for volunteering throughout Rivers and Spires to help support Habitat’s Cans for Homes.

About Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County TN

Since 1992, Habitat has partnered with 82 qualified applicants who invest sweat equity into building simple, decent, and affordable housing to achieve homeownership through a 20 year, zero-interest mortgage. Habitat collaborates with faith, civic, and business organizations who envision neighborhood revitalization through new home construction.  Please contact the Affiliate office at (931) 645-4222

About Habitat for Humanity International

Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has built, rehabilitated, repaired, or improved more than 500,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent, and affordable shelter for more than 2 million people. Visit www.habitat.org

50 Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Tennessee serve 63 counties, building, selling and financing over 225 houses a year to qualifying families earning below 60% AMI.

Tennessee has 28 Habitat ReStores engaging the community to donate and recycle to free up our landfills and help build more houses. Our Habitat ReStore is at 408 Madison Street.

Since 1978, Habitat for Humanity’s foreclosure rate is under 3%. Our foreclosure rate is 2.5%.

In 2011, Habitat affiliates in Tennessee generated $55.7 million in economic activity and the equivalent of 1,511 full-time jobs, according to a major statewide economic impact study by the University of Tennessee’s Center for Business and Economic Research in Knoxville.

Throughout the month of April, Habitat for Humanity’s Cars for Homes program will celebrate its “Every Day is Earth Day” initiative, encouraging people to donate their used cars, trucks, RVs, boats and other vehicles to help raise funds for Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County Tennessee and other Habitat affiliates throughout the country.

”The Cars for Homes program is another easy, tax-deductible way to support our housing ministry here in Clarksville and Montgomery County,” said Shelby Logsdon, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County Tennessee. “It is as simple as calling 1-877-277-4344 or filling out a form online and your vehicle will be towed away free of charge.”

Every day, Habitat’s Cars for Homes generates funding from the sale of used cars, trucks, and other vehicles. Those funds are distributed to local Habitat for Humanity organizations in the U.S. to help build affordable homes in partnership with low-income families. To date, more than 40,000 vehicles have been donated to the program.

“On average, about 25 percent of the vehicles we receive each year are recycled, so donating idle cars not only helps Habitat build homes but also gets gas guzzlers off  the road, ” said Marcia Rundle, director of Habitat’s Cars for Homes program. “Donating a vehicle is a hassle-free way for anyone to support their local Habitat affiliate while being good stewards of the environment.”

Interested donors can call 1-877-277-HFHI (4344) or donate a car or other vehicle online at www.CarsforHomes.. Donor contact, title and vehicle information is collected, and upon acceptance of the donation, Cars for Homes will tow the vehicle away, free of charge. Donors receive an acknowledgement letter for their car donation and should check with the Internal Revenue Service or their tax advisor for information about the tax deductibility of their donation.

All of us here at Habitat for Humanity extend our deepest gratitude to Liz Vatovec with NV Homes who served as our Women Build 2012 general contractor! Carolyn’s home was truly a community effort to provide her with a “hands-up” – a beautiful home she helped build with a zero-interest 20 year mortgage.

See images from the dedication at Clarksvillenow.com.

Our heartfelt thanks goes out to our own Clarksville ReStore along with Budweiser of Clarksville, Clarksville Home Builders Association, F&M Bank, Fast Train Property Management, Freedom Title Services, Keller Williams Realty, Robert K. Chaney, Target Leadership, JT & Diane Smith, Legacy Mortgage Services, and all other donors and friends who helped make Carolyn’s home a reality.

A special shout-out to Swirlz Art Studio for hosting a fundraiser, Lowe’s of Clarksville, TN for hosting our Women Build training clinics this spring, Ryan and Gretchen in the Morning for the interviews and spreading the word and Clarksvillenow.com for hosting our build blog! Many other local restaurants, businesses and residents provided food, drinks and snacks for our volunteers and contractors during the build. To the core group of women who led this project from the kindness of their heart – Eden Pifer, Susan Skirvin, Joleen Parsons, Birdie Freed, Courtney Waid, Tina Augustine, Kathy Slack, Deanna McLaughlin, Nicole Dyer and all the women volunteers who signed up to participate – over 160 of you – THANK YOU!

We will keep you up-to-date on when we might hold another Women Build!

Montgomery County Mayor Carolyn Bowers, Clarksville City Councilwomen Deanna McLaughlin and Kaye Jones and Millie Armstrong, Habitat for Humanity Board Treasurer all spoke about the impact Habitat for Humanity has in the Clarksville-Montgomery County region and how the Women Build project has inspired many women to participate in home building for the first time.

Mayor Bowers noted she participated in the first Women Build in Montgomery County 10 years ago and is excited to be a part of the worthwhile project again. Councilwomen Deanna McLaughlin is a member of the Women Build Committee and led the fundraising efforts. Councilwoman Kaye Jones is an avid supporter of Habitat for Humanity and the Women Build project. Millie Armstrong is a dedicated board member who currently serves as the Treasurer.

To keep track of the progress our women volunteers are making on the Women Build house you can check our Facebook page.

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They brought delicious cupcakes treats for everyone - future home builders!

The women involved with Women Build 2012 are building a 2-bedroom house for a Habitat partner family at 127 Brooks Alley. Carolyn, a single, retired, disabled mother of adult children living outside the home, is excited to be the recipient of the Women Build house.

“We are pleased to support the Women Build house. Carolyn is a dedicated volunteer in the ReStore and we wanted to support her house build in a unique way. We have pink tags throughout the ReStore to let customers know a portion of their purchase will go towards the Women Build home,” noted Kathryn Norbeck-Dayley, ReStore Manager.

Work has already begun on the lot. Volunteers will be asked to sign-up for certain shifts depending on their interests – framing, electrical, siding, insulation, drywall, interior trim, painting, cabinets, hardware, and landscaping. We anticipate volunteer work on the house to begin June 13^th. Individual and group volunteers are welcome to register for Women Build at www.habitatmctn.org “Get Involved.”

“We are excited to see the house build start and to announce the collaboration with ReStore. The partnership between the ReStore and the Women Build project is a new and exciting way to raise awareness and funds towards our goal,” explained Shelby Logsdon, Executive Director.

The Women Build Committee is a group of about 20 women who have assumed the challenge to fundraise, organize construction and special events, and recruit volunteers. They are they have raised over 50 percent of their funding goal and registered over 100 volunteers. The Women Build Committee has received major sponsorships from Budweiser, Clarksville Home Builders Association, F&M Bank, Fast Train Property Management, Freedom Title Services, Keller Williams Realty, Robert Chaney, Target Leadership and an anonymous donor in the building industry along with many other donations and pledges from several more businesses and individuals to provide lunch for volunteers and contractors on Saturdays throughout the build.

“We want to thank the businesses and individuals who have donated to Women Build to date. We also want to thank all the contractors who have agreed to donate labor, supplies and services to the Women Build project. This house could not be built without the generous support from everyone coming together to provide the opportunity for Carolyn and her family to have a new and affordable home,” noted Liz Vatovec, Women Build Construction Manager and owner of NV Homes. Sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting the Affiliate at (931) 645-4222.

About Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County, TN

Since 1992, Habitat has partnered with 78 qualified families who invest sweat equity into building simple, decent and affordable housing to achieve homeownership through a twenty-year, zero-interest mortgage. Habitat collaborates with faith, civic, and business organizations who envision neighborhood revitalization through new home construction.  www.habitatmctn.org

About Women Build

The mission of HFHI’s Women Build program is to enable U.S. and international affiliates to recruit, educate and nurture women to build—and advocate for—simple, decent and affordable houses in their communities.  Since 1995, Women Build groups have built over 1,900 homes.  www.habitat.org

About Lowe’s
Lowe’s is a major sponsor and underwriter of Women Build. Lowe’s sponsors National Women Build Week each year, provides competitive grant opportunities and offers free how-to clinics for U.S. Women Build affiliates. Lowe’s committed more than $1.3 million to National Women Build Week 2011. They are also providing $5,000 Lowe’s store gift cards and event support materials to more than 250 Habitat affiliates. www.lowes.com

CMCSS Job Coaches and Habitat ReStore staff work together to provide opportunities to learn job skills for the TRC clients during their time volunteering. / Photo by Shaun Rogers

“This is a fantastic community partnership which benefits both organizations immensely. The young adults from TRC are receiving valuable job readiness skills and the ReStore benefits from the much appreciated contributions these young people provide by volunteering,” remarked Norbeck-Dayley.

Volunteers are essential to supporting the Habitat ReStores mission of increasing Habitats funding to build affordable homes. With donations arriving daily, there is no shortage of work for volunteers. Since 1992, Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County Tennessee has partnered with 78 qualified low-income families and their 190 children to revitalize 15 neighborhoods in Clarksville and Montgomery County through new home construction. The ReStore staff and volunteers are a vital part of that work.

The TRC volunteers are in a program that assists with the transition from school to work; working with high school seniors and recent graduates of the Clarksville Montgomery County School System. CMCSS Job Coach, Angela Bowser says, “our clients are from 5 of the high schools in our district. They attend TRC to receive job readiness skills such as how to perform job searches, filling out applications and resume building. Volunteer work has been the newest addition to weekly activities. At the Habitat ReStore the clients are learning customer service and team work.”

Students are referred to the TRC by the Vocational Rehabilitation counselor through the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. Many students who attend the TRC have mobility impairments, visual, behavioral, learning, physical, or emotional disabilities, and need assistance with learning, or re-learning, how to live as independently as possible. The TRC is a state-operated comprehensive rehabilitation facility. It is one of only eight such centers in the nation and has offices in 18 cities across the state of Tennessee. The length of programs offered at TRC varies, depending upon the individual clients interest, abilities and needs. TRC is part of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation of the Tennessee Department of Human Services.

The TRC volunteers seem to be enjoying their experience at the ReStore as well. Charles, a recent high school graduate, who is hoping to land a job soon says, “I like volunteering because it helps get me ready for a real job and how people work out in the real way of life.” And, Joseph, another recent graduate remarked, “I really like how nice the people are who I work with. I like how nice the boss is.”

The ReStore has volunteers from all walks of life. The exposure the TRC participants receive from their interactions with such a broad spectrum of people helps them learn to handle themselves, receive instruction, and follow through on tasks. Norbeck-Dayley remarked that” learning how to work with different types of folks can be one of the most challenging aspects of any job and these kids are doing a great job of assimilating. Its nice to see that in addition to building homes, Habitat can have a positive impact in the community in other ways and the work TRC does with these young people has such an enduring, tangible payoff. It feels good to be a part of it.”

The ReStore opened its doors four years ago and sells donated building materials and furniture at reduced prices to the general public. 100% of the profits support Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County. In addition to the numerous homes the ReStore has helped fund since opening in 2008, the ReStore has diverted over 570 tons of material from the landfill as well as initiated and participated in numerous community partnerships.

Assistant Manager, Shaun Rogers says “the TRC volunteers stay very busy. They clean, organize and assist customers as well as helping with several large projects weve tackled in the past few months. One of these projects was the ReStores 3rd annual Green Thumb Festival in early May. I dont know what we would have done without their help to get the store ready for this event. The ReStore is in the best shape its ever been in,” noted Rogers.

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