Hard work, grades yield Habitat home for family

PINE BLUFF — Shalotta McDonald got a new house last week, but she had to work for it.

McDonald was the recipient of Habitat for Humanity’s 14th house that it has built in the city, and despite the face covering she was wearing, her eyes gave away her joy as she stood with her children during a brief dedication ceremony.

Relyance Bank sponsored the building of the house, but as Chuck Morgan, the bank’s chairman and CEO, said, writing the check was the “easy part.”

“A lot of houses are built, but it takes a family to make a home,” Morgan said in front of the 15 or so bank and city officials who had gathered to enjoy the moment. “Shalotta, welcome to your new home.” “Thank you,” she said. Morgan praised Habitat for Humanity as a “great organization,” and he encouraged other businesses to get involved in the sponsorship of homes.

Pat Anderson, a member of the Habitat board of directors and the agency’s interim director, said the construction of the house, located near the intersection of Ninth Avenue and Gum Street, had taken two years instead of the usual one, mainly from virus-related delays but also because of other issues out of the group’s control.

He said the “challenging” project had been completed with “perseverance” and support from the bank.

“This wouldn’t have happened without Relyance Bank,” he said. “This would not have been possible.”

Anderson said that included in the criteria for a family to qualify for getting a Habitat house is for them to invest 400 hours of “sweat equity” in it.

But the agency allows families to get credit for some of those hours if their children have As on their report cards, and that’s what McDonald’s family got.

“These are all-A students right here,” Anderson said.

The land where the house is located was a park at one time, but years ago, the city donated the property to Habitat. Consequently, there are 10 to 12 Habitat lots in the area and a half-dozen or more Habitat houses now located near McDonald’s house.

Even though Relyance Bank sponsored the building of the house, McDonald will make a house payment for 20 years at zero interest, with the money going to Habitat. To qualify for the house, McDonald had to apply for consideration and then be interviewed and chosen by a family selection committee. She had to be employed and qualified for a loan, although the city, through grants that it has, assisted her with a down payment and closing costs, Anderson said. She also had to take classes in homeownership, he said.

“They are all first-time homebuyers,” Anderson said, “and they get to have the pride of ownership. It changes a lot of peoples’ lives. She is awfully proud that she owns a house.”

Habitat has been in operation for about 20 years in Pine Bluff, Anderson said, adding that he would like to get back on track in building one or two houses a year. Asked when the group might get started on a 15th, he laughed and said, “Well, we have a board meeting tomorrow.”

Realistically, he said, with covid-19 still slowing down everything and with rainy fall weather not far off, it will likely be the first quarter of 2021 before another project is undertaken.

Normally, after a dedication such as the one held Wednesday, visitors take a tour, but Anderson said that was not possible because of the risk of spreading the coronavirus.