Volunteers Are Backbone of Home-Building Group

After 40 years as an executive in the aerospace industry, Milton Radant thought it was time to give back to the community.

In 1996, he started volunteering for Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County, using his skills in research and development to find vacant land for construction of affordable homes. He now scours maps and drives local roads, contacting landowners and government agencies to see if they are willing to donate property.

The Simi Valley man also makes sure that the land can be built upon--that there are no easement problems and that a site is close to schools for future owners with children.

“It’s like trying to solve a mystery. Is it for sale? Is it not? Is it really suitable? Where is the person with the money?” said Radant, 69, chairman of the site selection committee. “The enjoyment is trying to connect all those pieces together and getting a deal. I get my kicks out of that process.”

Radant is among 300 volunteers who help make the local organization tick. They pour concrete, hammer nails and install drywall. They operate backhoes and dump trucks, and hire contractors to perform specialized tasks, such as installing vinyl flooring and rain gutters. They also run ReStore, a retail store in Oxnard that sells new and used building materials.

Since 1983, volunteers have helped 23 low-income families move into their own homes in Piru, Camarillo, Oak View and Thousand Oaks. The group is building a home in Santa Paula, and construction is underway on a 22-home subdivision in Piru.

The group also plans to build homes in Simi Valley and Oxnard, where officials recently agreed to donate 12,500 square feet of land for the construction of two or three homes at C Street and Robert Avenue.

The land in Oxnard, appraised at $54,000, contains several old water wells that are no longer in use. Oxnard officials declared the land surplus and deeded it to the organization--a move expected to help the city meet a state-mandated goal of providing 492 affordable housing units by 2005.

City officials say the donation is worth it.

“Many families are overcrowded, living with relatives or families. Some are living in garages,” said Ernie Whitaker, Oxnard’s housing rehabilitation program manager. “What we’re trying to do is create housing so people can move out of those crowded conditions.”

Annette Houchin oversees the local chapter, managing its finances and building contracts and performing other administrative duties. She has been with the organization five years, working her way up from office manager to executive director.

Her goal is to build seven homes this year--a target she said is attainable.

“If it wasn’t for the volunteers, and donations, we would fail,” said Houchin, 38.

The local chapter raises about $500,000 annually in donations--money that goes toward labor and construction not donated by the community. Most volunteers contact the chapter directly to offer their time. They include college students, corporate executives, retired contractors and members of the nearby naval base.

Elden Sandy, a retired electrical engineer from Camarillo, wanted to keep busy and do something creative after he retired in 1997. He signed up with Habitat for Humanity, and now works as the group’s volunteer construction coordinator.

“I always had a dream to be a philanthropist, but the financial end of it didn’t work out for me,” said Sandy, 60. “Here, I am able to do that with my time, which is probably just as good.”

The average cost of a house ranges from $63,000 for a three-bedroom home to $70,000 for five bedrooms.

Families must meet certain requirements to be eligible. They must go through rigorous background and credit checks, as well as personal interviews to show they can meet a 20-year mortgage commitment.

A family of four cannot have a household income of more than $35,900, while a family of three cannot earn more than $32,300. Families also must show they are living in substandard housing.

Those selected get a 20-year interest-free mortgage with monthly payments of about $450. A $750 down payment is required to move in. They also must attend a series of workshops on how to balance a checkbook, the dangers of credit card debt, and performing small repairs.

Future owners must also volunteer at least 500 hours to help build their homes.

Connie Gutierrez, a mother of three daughters, helped paint and dig trenches for her three-bedroom house in Thousand Oaks.

In 1995, she was forced to move out of a house she had shared with her husband. The homemaker and mother had no savings or professional training. So she went on welfare and attended classes at Golden State College in hopes of becoming an optician.

For the next three years, Gutierrez and her daughters, then ages 4, 5 and 9, bounced from apartment to apartment, subletting a single room in already cramped, sometimes lice-infected living conditions. They shared a bed and prepared their meals in a microwave. Gutierrez read them the Bible and took them to the beach when she could, reassuring her children that somehow their situation was only temporary.

In 1998, with the help of Habitat, she was able to move her family into their own home.

“I find it amazing that strangers were willing to help me that way. These people didn’t want anything,” said Gutierrez, 38, a credit reporting specialist for a mortgage company. “It was a miracle.”

Anyone interested in volunteering or donating money to Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County can contact the organization at (805) 485-6065.