VALDOSTA — The Weldon family’s living situation is unsafe for their four kids.

Joshua and Petrona Weldon share her father’s home with her sister’s family. The house leaks when it rains and space is a luxury they don’t have.

Petrona Weldon said they want a better place for their kids, which is why they went to Habitat for Humanity for help.

Habitat is a non-profit that helps families such as the Weldons get a home when other methods are beyond them. Petrona Weldon said she heard about the organization through a relative and decided it was worth a shot if it meant her kids could have their own place to live.

“It’s for my kids,” she said. “A home where they can be safe means everything.”

The dream of their own home and their space is in jeopardy because of a lack of funding flowing into Habitat.

The Weldons are on a list full of people looking for help from Habitat for a new home. The wait can be long, stretching a few years, but now it may be even longer.

Molly Ferrier, executive director of Habitat, said Habitat teamed up with the City of Valdosta two years ago for a Community Home Investment Program grant. The $300,000 grant helped pay for 12 homes built for families.

Last month, Habitat observed the last house built using the grant and now needs more funding.

“We are done with that grant, so we are looking at drastically slowing down our building,” Ferrier said. “We need funding. We need another grant like this, or we need folks to donate.”

Getting a CHIP grant is difficult, she said. Habitat is not guaranteed to receive the competitive grant again next year.

The non-profit needs organizations such as the city and South Georgia Medical Center to donate and provide funding for home builds. Ferrier said Habitat teamed up with SGMC on one of its most recent builds to great effect.

“We need more big sponsors like that, because we have people who need homes,” Ferrier said. “We’re ready to build. We can do more with more money.”

With that money, families such as the Weldons would receive their home quicker and be moved out of their current living situation sooner.

They wouldn’t just be given a home, however. Ferrier said all the money spent is paid back during the course of 30 years; people who get Habitat homes have a mortgage like every homeowner, but at a zero interest rate, she said.

Habitat fills a gap for people such as the Weldons who can’t go to the bank for a house loan because of a wide array of reasons, Ferrier said.

“These are people who are still working hard and are still wanting to provide the American dream for their family,” she said.

The organization heavily relies on volunteer labor to cut down on costs. Part of the volunteer work comes from every person who receives a home being required to put at least 350 hours of what’s called “sweat equity” into projects.

For each home being built, multiple families are putting in their time and effort in hopes they will one day get a home.

Adam Whitten and his family were the last family to receive a home partly paid for by the CHIP grant. He said putting his sweat into the building of his home made it more personal and rewarding.

“It felt great to put the house together with your own hands,” Whitten said. “I think that’s one of the really great things about Habitat is that they have you do the volunteer hours. It’s great.”

Whitten isn’t alone in this feeling. 

Ferrier said having recipients participate in the building process is one of the best parts of Habitat, giving people a feeling of ownership.

That’s why scaling back is so tough, she said.

“We have all this momentum and all these great volunteers in place, and it’s hard to think about scaling back,” Ferrier said. “Habitat helps people who are helping themselves. Helping people have stable, affordable housing helps them provide for their children. They won’t have to move from place to place.

“Instead of people surviving from day to day, we want people to thrive.”

For more information about Habitat for Humanity of Valdosta, visit http://www.valdostahabitat.org/ or call (229) 245-1330 Ext. 31. Donations can be sent to Valdosta-Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity 2010 E. Cypress St. Valdosta, Ga. 31601.

Thomas Lynn is a government and education reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256