News

Home ownership possible with help of strangers

Susan Flynn
Published: November 15, 2008

Pam Swasey got a leaf blower for her 53rd birthday this month. Her dad, bless his heart, she says, just put a sump pump in the cellar. She erected a white picket fence in the front yard and painted the shed in the backyard a tropical sunset pink.

"Of course pink," she says, laughing.

Almost four years ago, Swasey and her two daughters moved into their new home on Essex Street in Beverly built by Habitat for Humanity volunteers. Some people get excited about trips or jewelry. But Swasey is a homeowner, for the first time in her life, and nothing is more appealing than a dry basement and the prospect of corralling the leaves without killing her back.

Even now, she can't believe she can use the word "homeowner" to describe herself.

"I still get numb," she says.

Since 1985, Habitat for Humanity has built 14 new homes on the North Shore, giving security to families who otherwise couldn't afford it. There are 10 homes in Lynn, three in Salem, including a two-family under construction in The Point, and the one in Beverly.

In September, they celebrated a major milestone. The owner of the first house they ever built was handed the deed after 20 years of paying down the mortgage.

"That was an exciting moment," says Don Preston, the chairman of the Habitat board.

They are now searching for a new family for a house to be built in Lynn. It can be a gut-wrenching challenge for volunteers to determine the most worthy candidate, considering the stakes are so high, Preston says. This is a chance to own a home on the North Shore, paying a mortgage of about $700 a month.

The deadline is Dec. 1, and typically they get about 30 applications, though the poor economy may increase the pool. A few get eliminated right off. They aren't a family or don't meet the income guidelines — no higher than $42,900 for a family of four.

A confidential selection committee then whittles it down to about 10, making visits to their homes and running credit checks. They try to get it down to five and make more visits and run criminal background checks.

They also take into consideration if a family is living in hazardous conditions — lead paint, a leaky roof, rats. The whole selection process can take three months or more.

When Swasey got the call she was picked out of 33 eligible families, she screamed.

She loved working on the house on weekends, putting in her 400 required hours of "sweat equity." She still misses the "festival" atmosphere where volunteers of all ages worked side by side with hammers in hand, creating a home for her family. She spoke of one man from Nepal, a student at the Gordon-Conwell seminary. He was humble and kind and described working for Habitat in his country, where people were thrilled to move into 500-square-foot homes without running water or electricity.

"You meet some phenomenal people," she says.

On a recent tour of the house, she points out the three quilts on their beds made by volunteers. They wake every morning embraced by the kindness of strangers.

The home gave her girls security, but life still throws the occasional curveball.

Four months ago, Swasey got laid off from her job as the office manager of a tannery in Peabody. She contacted Habitat officials because she's worried about the mortgage. They say there's some flexibility to skip a payment and tack it onto the end. They tell her to stay calm.

"I worked very hard for this," Swasey says. "I don't want to lose it."

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Staff writer Susan Flynn can be reached at sflynn@salem news.com or 978-338-2658.