Habitat builds 1,000th home in Iowa

Saturday, volunteers in Knoxville will dedicate the 1,000th Habitat for Humanity house completed in Iowa; nine of those 1,000 homes are located in Fairfield.  Seven of the homes in Fairifeld were built new. Two are existing houses that were rehabbed. The most recent, at 912 N. Ninth St., was dedicated in March.

All habitat homeowners are buying their homes through no-interest mortgages, but first they helped build or rehab their houses, working with volunteers.  Individual and corporate donors provided money and materials to build the habitat homes.

The Fairfield affiliate of Habitat for Humanity was formed in 1995. The  preReStore is its most recent project. At the preReStore, re-usable and surplus building materials, furniture, appliances and tools are collected and sold to the public.

Besides providing low-cost items to the public, the preReStore recycles and keeps usable items out of the landfill. Profit will be used to help fund more habitat housing projects.

Volunteers are needed for the preReStore and soon will be needed to help with rehabbing of an existing home in Fairfield. There also are opportunities for volunteers to help with public relations, family support and education.

Greater Fairfield Area Habitat for Humanity is on Facebook and on the web at www.fairfieldhabitat.org.  Call 209-9450 for more information.