Habitat for Humanity is ReStoring housing for families

Habitat For Humanity's newest home in Park City with homeowner Chelsea Jones (L) and volunteer Casey Lebwohl (R) on the scaffolding. Photo: Michele Roepke

PARK CITY, Utah.— Yesterday, another volunteer group came out to another Habitat for Humanity home site. Many groups are work-related such as lawyers and doctors, and many are personal-based such as family reunions and church gatherings. Whatever motivates volunteers to come to home sites or to the Restore, Habitat for Humanity takes all-comers. The group on this day was approximately 40 people from Park City’s Temple Har Shalom.

Habitat For Humanity’s of Summit and Wasatch Counties Executive Director Shellie Barrus showed the volunteers around one home (pictured here) in Summit Creek Village which is completed and will welcome its new homeowners soon, a single mother who works as a local coffee shop manager and her child who has alter-abilities.

Barrus told me that in her 10 years with Habitat for Humanity, she, “focuses on energy efficiency and sustainability.” And that she feels, “grateful to team up with organizations like Mountainlands Community Housing, USDA Rural Development, Utah Clean Energy, and Park City’s Top Mark Floor and Design to help families find great housing solutions that work for great families.

The house under construction, in the cover photo, will soon be moved into by first-time homeowner and single mother Chelsea Jones along with her child. The Silver Creek neighborhood is within the South Summit School District, however, Jones’ child will attend Silver Summit Academy which is within walking distance to their new home. Growing up in Kamas, Jones will now be closer to her job where she’s employed by the Park City Municipal Corp.. Jones has 70 more sweat equity hours to dedicate into the construction of her home after the 130 she’s already put into it.

She told me, “I’m excited to have a safe, secure, and stress-free home where my child will grow up.” Complying with COVID protocols has set her move-in timeline back by many months, but far from complaining about that fact, Jones kept repeating, “Thank you,” to each and every volunteer.

That was when she wasn’t laughing and joking around with her house-building teammates, Program Services Coordinator for Habitat For Humanity Emily Johnson, and Construction Manager for Habitat For Humanity Arcadio Madrigal. The two who live in Salt Lake City, respectively, in addition to the homeowner, are building 100% of this house by themselves save for a few volunteer groups.

Casey Lebwohl, President of the Board of Temple Har Shalom helped organize today’s group and told me, “Our Social Action Committee was lucky to have learned about how Habitat For Humanity is always looking for more volunteers. Each month we support a different local nonprofit. Today’s group has shown up, no experience necessary, to ensure that everyone in the Park City community is given an opportunity to share in what makes this town a place where we all feel welcome. It’s a personification of our philosophy of Tikkun Olam or loosely translated, to do something in the world that improves upon it. I think if more locals knew how simple and how rewarding it was to spend a few hours volunteering for Habitat For Humanity, a lot more folks would come out.” 

Habitat For Humanity takes not only donations of time but also of funds and of the tools and building materials.