HOUSTON, Texas—On Saturday, May 16, 2015, a home dedication for the Nelson Family took place at Habitat for Humanity Northwest Harris County’s Hamill Crossing build site. Habitat for Humanity Northwest Harris County partners with families and sponsors in the community to build safe, decent and affordable housing. A home dedication marks an incredible day in a Habitat homeowner’s life. It is the special day that they celebrate their accomplishments as a partner family and walk through their new home. They are joined by the community in a celebration of all of the hard work they have done.
Quinnell Nelson, a single mother and her two sons, Warnell (age 14) and Eric (age 1), came to the Habitat for Humanity Northwest Harris County program looking for independence and a place to grow. Before applying for the program, Quinnell and her two children lived with family in a small overcrowded apartment.
Quinnell and her family are thankful to have had wonderful partners in Klein Oak High School, who’s staff and students have financially sponsored the Nelson family’s entire home in the amount of $60,000. What began as a small project started by the student council eventually grew over the course of the school year to engage the entire school and raise awareness about the problem of substandard housing in Houston. Each Saturday for 18 weeks, Klein Oak High School sent groups of students and staff members to work on the Hamill Crossing job site to complete the home with their own hands. On the side, the staff and students partook in fundraising efforts to make this home a reality.
One student council member said of the process, “This year we were inspired to build a house through Habitat for Humanity because we saw how much these houses can impact a family, and we wanted to give someone a home they would be proud of.” The student council talked about their favorite experiences and one student council member explained, “We were working side by side with the future owner of our home as we got to build our house and we were able to see where all of our fundraising was going to as well as the fact that we got to connect with our homeowner on a more personal level. We also loved getting to see the progress that our house made each week and in the end, getting to dedicate the finished house made all of our hard work worth it.”
We thank these bright students and faculty members for making the Nelson house a possibility and we encourage community members to get involved and talk with us about our programs. You can reach out to our Development Department by calling 281-477-0460 or by emailing cgreer@habitatnwhc.org.
About Habitat for Humanity Northwest Harris County:
Habitat for Humanity Northwest Harris County was established in 1989 by 12 area churches as an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. We are a non-profit 501-c-3, faith based, volunteer driven organization dedicated to eliminating sub-standard housing. We are one of eight Habitat affiliates in metropolitan Houston.
Since its inception Habitat for Humanity Northwest Harris County (NWHC) has built more than 200 homes, providing housing for more than 800 individuals. As of 2011 Habitat NWHC has built 5 subdivisions: Carrell Manor, Cherie Cove, Lancaster, Hampton Place and Hamill Ranch. Construction commenced in February 2012 on our sixth subdivision, Hamill Crossing. When completed, Hamill Crossing will house 49 families.
However, our focus goes beyond just building houses; we are building communities that stress the well being and future of the families who live in Habitat homes. We are committed to doing what we can to help these families be successful in their new neighborhoods. In many of our neighborhoods we have helped develop community Home Owner Associations and community centers.
Habitat NWHC does not give homes away; we partner with families looking for a ‘hand-up’ and help them build their new home. A typical Habitat home is 3 bedrooms, 1 ½ baths and contains about 1120 square feet. We have probably constructed more duplexes than any other Habitat affiliate in the country. However, with the construction of our newest communities Lancaster, Hamill Ranch and Hamill Crossing, we have begun building single family homes on individual slabs. For more information, please visit www.habitatnwhc.com.
