NAPA-SOLANO HABITAT FOR HUMANITY TURNS 30
Before Briana Kenner heard of Habitat for Humanity she had a dream in which she saw a beautiful new blue house.
Kenner, who was then living in a rented house on what she called “one of the worst streets in Vallejo,” later heard from her church, Mount Calvary Baptist in Fairfield, about a seminar for those interested in getting a home through Habitat for Humanity, which was building two in Fairfield.
“The day that they had the seminar, I wasn’t feeling good,” recalled Benner, who brought her daughter to the event. Eager to go, she saw the photos of the available houses — including her blue dream house.
“I just started crying, like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I told my daughter, ‘That’s the house I told you about,’” she said.
Habitat had just opened the application process and soon
narrowed 21 applicants to two — Benner and Idalia Gaytan of Fairfield. Both women were asked to choose a house and both chose the blue one.
“As I was sitting there at work I thought, ‘You know what? I’m blessed to get any house,’” said Benner. Before she could tell officials that, they called her to say a coin toss decided she would get the blue house.
“It was like God was telling me something,” she said.
This is just one of many stories that people who have benefited from the Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity can tell. The local chapter is celebrating its 30th anniversary. In that time, it has built or repaired a total of 50 homes.
The program targets low-income families, those in the 5080 percentile of area median income.
“The cost of housing in Solano and Napa counties is so extremely high,” noted the chapter’s Executive Director Andrew
Killeen. “It’s just extremely difficult for them to buy a house and participate in what so many of the rest of us get to do in terms of wealth building. What I like so very much about Habitat is that it provides a hand up and not a handout… We don’t simply give these houses away. Our partner families have to give us 500 hours of sweat equity to help build their home.”
Once a family is selected for a home, Habitat helps set up affordable financing for a 30-year mortgage. The typical Habitat house is a 1,300 square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath single-family home.
Becker and Gaytan put in plenty of sweat equity in their new homes, which stand next to each other. Sometimes they even worked on each other’s homes. Both have two daughters who became friends as they helped with the work.
Gaytan, who lives in the home with her daughters, ages 23 and 19, said, “We did most everything.
We learned how to do the primer and nailed the sheetrock and we did the roofing too.”
She got help from her daughters as well as her brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews. And Habitat sent an army of its own volunteers.
“We were so blessed to have volunteers, people we didn’t even know,” said Gaytan. “They are a very nice community.”
Kenner said she put in over 250 hours of work and family members, including her mom and dad, put in an additional 250.
“I worked on my lunch break or on days off I would come out,” she said. “Once we got the structure up my girls were able to come and help put the insulation in the walls. They were able to write a message on the beams in the walls.”
Like Gaytan, she greatly appreciated the volunteers.
“I would always make sure I would stop by, even on days
“It’s part of the Habitat model, bringing people together to help those with the means to help those in need build their houses shoulder to shoulder. And then the Fund for Humanity is also paying it forward. Those who benefit from it help fund future Habitat homeowners.” — Andrew Killeen, chapter’s Executive Director
I wasn’t working, and say thank you to whoever was working on it,” said Kenner.
Volunteers are the backbone of Habitat.
“On any given house we may have anywhere from 500 to 600 volunteers from our communities come out and give us a hand,” said Killeen. “It generally takes from a year to a year and a half to build because unlike a for-profit contractor, we only build three days a week and we’re doing it mostly with our crews who are inexperienced volunteers from the community. We have experienced crew leaders who help guide them and train them. But most of the labor force is volunteers. In any given year we may get 30,000 volunteer hours.”
The Kenner and Gaytan homes were completed in September 2015 and Habitat celebrated with a big housewarming.
“They had a really nice ceremony,” recalled Gaytan. “It was so amazing to see people, how they came to bless us with gifts, like new plants, fruit trees. It was a really nice experience.”
To keep safe from the coronavirus, a big gathering like that may not happen with homes built during the pandemic. But the work has continued despite COVID. Habitat has had to do without many of its less experienced volunteers to keep the numbers down to avoid a possible spread of the virus.
Even at that, Habitat was able to complete a house in one year in Rio Vista. The six-bedroom house, dedicated at the end of January this year, is a residence for six formerly homeless veterans. The project was a collaboration between Habitat, Solano County, the city of Rio Vista, American Legion Post 178 in Rio Vista and the Berkeley Food and Housing Project. The tenants pay no more than 30 percent of their income.
“The community and businesses and contractors in the city of Rio Vista came out in force to help us finish that house,” said Killeen. “We completed that house in record time.”
Another aspect of Habitat is the ReStore in Fairfield, an independently owned reuse store operated by Habitat that accepts donations and sells home improvement items, furniture and appliances to the public at a fraction of the retail price.
“Following the 20082009 financial crisis, when donations from individuals mostly dried up, it was necessary for us to regain some control over those incoming revenue streams that we need to sustain us,” said Killeen. “So we adopted a Habitat model for the ReStore. The proceeds help fund our building efforts. This August we’ll be celebrating our 10th anniversary.”
Habitat is supported by grants from local corporations and donations from individuals. Both Solano and Napa Counties have also been supportive. The cities of Vacaville and Fairfield have helped Habitat acquire land for some of their projects.
The next project is to build three new homes in Fairfield that Habitat hopes to break ground on before this summer.
Mortgage payments from Habitat homeowners go into what the chapter calls its Fund for Humanity which is used to help build still more houses.
“It’s part of the Habitat model, bringing people together to help those with the means to help those in need build their houses shoulder to shoulder,” said Killeen. “And then the Fund for Humanity is also paying it forward. Those who benefit from it help fund future Habitat homeowners.”
Killeen has served as executive director for three years and has 14 paid staff. He has been involved with the organization for 15 years and has served on the board for 10.
“I’d been aware of Habitat and its work around the world for quite some time and decided to do some research on it for my church,” he said. “They wanted to know where they might help in our community. When I did the research I was surprised to learn that Habitat was building in Vacaville. So when I found out that Habitat was not only doing wonderful things overseas for people in need of safe, decent and affordable housing but also for those right here in our communities, I was sold.”
The basic model has stayed the same, but Killeen has seen some other changes over the years. Originally just Solano Habitat, the organization absorbed the Napa County affiliate in 2005. And new houses have to meet new energy standards.
“Over the last 12 years or so, all the new houses we build have a photo-optic solar electricity system,” said Killeen. “We abide by all of the new energy standards that are required by code. But even before it was required, we were installing solar electric systems in the houses.”
So Gaytan and Kenner both have those systems. They couldn’t be more thrilled with their new homes.
“It’s so beautiful. It’s a nice house,” said Gaytan. “We were renting a twobedroom apartment in Fairfield. It was not big enough for the three of us.”
Kenner, whose daughters are now 19 and 15, said, “We haven’t had any issues. It’s been really good. We can go outside now. We go across the street, ride a bike, take our dog out, run him around downtown and in the parking lot across the street. So it’s a breath of fresh air.”