MANSFIELD — Easter O’Neal’s home on Foster Street is all she imagined it would be for her and her daughter.
“I love the house,” she said. “I appreciate everybody that’s here and doing what they’re doing for me.”
O’Neal celebrated her new home with Habitat for Humanity of Richland and Crawford Counties board members on Friday. She was approved for a home in 2019, but construction stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This has been a three-and-a-half year process but I kept the faith,” she said. “I love all of it, but I love my kitchen.”
O’Neal and her youngest daughter, Jeneya Wagner, will move into the three-bedroom, 1.5 bath ranch in the coming weeks.
Wagner, 23, said she hopes to make one of the bedrooms a Mickey Mouse painting room.
FiELD9: architecture designed the one-story house with Wagner’s special needs in mind, as she has trouble getting up and down stairs.
O’Neal’s older children, cousin, nieces and her mother Odessa O’Neal also celebrated with her on Friday.
The matriarch lives in the same neighborhood as her daughter’s new home, also in a Habitat house.
“Easter’s sister passed away in ’96 and I’ve lived in that house since then,” she said.
Easter O’Neal currently lives on the city’s north end and works at First English Lutheran Early Learning Center. She said she plans to host some family gatherings at her new home.
The plot of land at 212 S. Foster Street was donated by the Richland County Land Bank. This was the local Habitat for Humanity’s first new build since the pandemic.
Construction completed in less than 6 months
Habitat board chair Christian Harris said board members, contractors and sponsors were all dedicated to getting O’Neal into her new home as soon as possible.
“Not all of our projects are going to be like that, but Easter has waited for this day,” he said. “COVID slowed things down quite a bit, but we broke ground in March, and now here we are.”
Thompson & Sons Home Improvements built most of O’Neal’s new house.
The project was funded by 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.
“We’re so grateful to everyone who helped make this happen,” Harris said. “We have a great board where everybody believes in the mission and they’re motivated to do the work.”
O’Neal had to complete 250 hours of homeowner classes as part of qualifications for her new home. She will pay a zero-interest mortgage at the home’s fair market value.
Appraising new builds is part of Habitat’s mission to help with affordable housing and sustainable development. The organization also helps qualifying homeowners with repairs and rehabilitation projects.
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.
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.
