MANSFIELD — Good things come to those who wait and Easter O’Neal has put in her time.
O’Neal and her daughter stood on a muddy vacant lot Friday afternoon and thrust their shovels into the soggy earth. After three years, they were finally breaking ground on their new home.
Habitat for Humanity of Richland and Crawford Counties approved O’Neal’s application for a new home in 2019. Hers will be the first home built by the local chapter since the onset of COVID-19.
“I had been looking for a house and different people were telling me to try Habitat,” O’Neal said. “I am so excited. This is what I’ve always wanted — a home of my own.”
Executive Director Veronna Drane said she was “over the moon” about finally starting the project. It’s been five or six years since the local chapter did a new build.
The non-profit had multiple homes returned after residents died or were unable to make payments. After restoring and finding new occupants for those homes, the pandemic hit, making it nearly impossible to begin construction.
“We’ve not been dormant. We’ve been doing repairs, some renovations and rehabs,” Drane said. “But getting back to our roots and building new houses from the ground up with the families is really where my heart lies.”
Habitat for Humanity works in more than 70 countries, providing decent and affordable through new construction, home renovations and repair and disaster relief.
The Richland and Crawford County chapter was founded in 1988 as a response to the community’s need for affordable housing.
“I wish I could say over those 30-plus years that it wasn’t a need anymore, but the need continues to grow,” Drane said.
“We are so blessed to have so many community-minded individuals and organizations in our community like the ones who are sponsoring our house number 52 for the O’Neal family.”
The O’Neal home will be a three bedroom, 1.5 bath ranch on Foster Street. The plot of land was donated but the Richland County Land Bank. Drane said she hopes to complete the project by June 30.
O’Neal is a 1983 graduate of Malabar High School. She works at the First English Lutheran daycare. She will share the home with her 23-year-old daughter, Jeneya Wagner, who has special needs.
“She has a daughter that has difficulty getting up and down stairs, so with her having this one level, it will make it really easy for her to maneuver around in the house without hurting herself,” said Linda O’Neal, Easter’s sister.
O’Neal’s niece Jocelyn Crittenden said she’s excited for her aunt to have a place of her own.
“She puts everything on the line for everybody else,” Crittenden said. “She went and dropped what she’s doing for her family.”
Once the home is built, O’Neal will live just a few blocks from her mother, who also lives in a Habitat-built home.
The home was originally constructed for O’Neal’s sister, who passed away.
Drane estimated the cost to build the home will be about $192,000, but O’Neal will only pay the home’s fair market value — likely between $55,000 and $65,000.
“The goal with Habitat is really two-fold,” Drane said. “Our goal is to help get a qualified homebuyer into an affordable house, but we’re also hoping that we can be part of neighborhood revitalization.”
“Maybe the neighbors here will see that they need a repair, call us and we can help them.”
In some pockets of Mansfield, like this one, the cost to build a new home far exceeds what the new home value would be, due to property value trends and the soaring cost of construction.
“Before COVID, when we started it, the (cost to build the) home was about 50 percent less than it came in after COVID,” Drane said. “The cost of materials and the ability to get contractors has really raised those costs.”
Drane said despite the price hike, the project will be fully funded with donations from the City of Mansfield’s HOME program, the Robert & Esther Black Family Foundation, the Richland County Foundation, Park National Bank, Sutton Bank, Mechanics Bank, First Energy/Ohio Edison and other individual donors.
Habitat for Humanity home recipients have to go through an application process before being approved. Potential homeowners are evaluated based on their level of need, ability to repay a mortgage and willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity.
“They open up their lives to us,” Drane said. “We’re gonna look at their finances. Do they have the ability to pay for the house? It’s zero percent interest, but it is still a mortgage. Do they have a need? That need could be as simple as they don’t qualify for a traditional mortgage.”
Applicants must also have a total debt-to-income ratio of 39 percent or less, no court-ordered debt and a clean background check. Homeowners must also put in 250 hours of “sweat equity” — either by volunteering with Habitat for Humanity or attending homeownership classes or financial counseling.
To learn more volunteering, donations or housing applications through Habitat for Humanity of Richland and Crawford Counties, visit their website.
