Del. Peace supports making housing more accessible and affordable for 97th District residents The Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity last week selected Delegate Christopher K. Peace (R-97th House of Delegates) to serve on its Board of Directors. This metropolitan organization serves the city of Richmond and the counties of Henrico, Chesterfield, Charles City and New Kent and has built more than 280 homes in these areas since 1986.
"Like many Americans, many Habitat families are unable to afford traditional mortgages so Habitat offers working families a great product at an affordable price. In this time of economic uncertainty and housing foreclosures, our communities should reinforce a welcoming message and partner with Habitat just like the McLaughlins of New Kent did" stated Peace.
Locally, Elsie and Bert McLaughlin of New Kent County recently sold over 10 acres to Richmond Habitat at a greatly reduced rate to facilitate construction of the 1st Habitat subdivision in New Kent County. Their generosity demonstrated a commitment to workforce and affordable housing opportunities in New Kent.
Habitat for Humanity, International was founded on the conviction that all of God's children deserve a decent and safe place to live. Habitat is a proven model successfully enabling more than 1,000,000 people worldwide to move from inadequate shelter into simple, decent homes. Once accepted into the program families are required to invest 350 hours of labor into building their house and other Habitat homes, known as "sweat equity." Homeowners are expected to attend a series of educational workshops, including sessions on budgeting, predatory lending and home maintenance; the entire process takes about 18 months.