The Why and How of the '04 House Project
Too many Dartmouth students equate the concept of 'low-cost housing' with cheaper off-campus apartments. Beyond the Dartmouth bubble, the lack of affordable housing is a serious issue facing many residents of the Upper Valley, right in our own backyard. The Dartmouth chapter of Habitat for Humanity works to eradicate both the local housing problem and the ignorance of such problems. Habitat for Humanity is an international organization that functions on the grass-roots level by building simple, decent, affordable housing in partnership with those in need of adequate shelter. Homeowner families purchase the homes at the cost of materials with a zero-interest mortgage, and their monthly payments usually amount to less than what they would be paying for sub-standard apartment rental and utilities. The families are chosen according to their need and ability to pay, and they must commit to 500 hours of "sweat equity" working on their house.
In past years, the college group has functioned mainly as a source of volunteer labor for houses sponsored by Upper Valley Habitat, a local affiliate based in White River Junction, VT, as well as initiating local advocacy and education campaigns. However, our chapter has grown over the years and we currently maintain a volunteer pool of 500 students, which often exceeds the volunteer needs of Upper Valley Habitat. We believe that this campus has both the interest and the resources to address the housing needs of the Upper Valley in a more aggressive manner. Dartmouth Habitat aimed to be the sole sponsor of a Habitat for Humanity house. This entailed raising close to $100,000 as well as taking a more active role in virtually every step of the building process, including land acquisition, selection of paid and volunteer staff to oversee construction and building logistics, selection of the homeowner family, and heightening awareness on campus and in the Hanover community. As construction on this house begin during the summer while the Class of 2004 was in residence, the project was entitled the "Class of '04 House."
We pioneered the first of what will hopefully become an annual Sophomore Summer Service Project. This project would combine hands-on site construction with an education program, such as a series of lectures on affordable housing, aimed at raising awareness of housing issues among Dartmouth students. There will also be a special effort made to integrate the Habitat houses into the local community. Building Habitat’s first student-sponsored house afforded a great opportunity for us to tap into the College's resources in order to benefit those around us in need, to educate our peers on the every-day problems many are unaware of, and to strengthen the bonds between Dartmouth and the local community.
Project Specifics
We anticipated needing to raise approximately $85,000-90,000 over the course of the academic year. This figure covered the building costs and the salaries of skilled site supervisors. In addition to raising all of the funds, Dartmouth Habitat for Humanity will take a much more active role in arranging volunteer and paid staffing, organizing the logistics of obtaining building materials and construction, and procuring the land donation. We continued to partner with Upper Valley Habitat, but this project gave us an opportunity to provide even more needy families with affordable housing without putting undue strain on the Upper Valley Affiliate.
Timeline
The first step was the selection of a building site, after which the family selection process began. Throughout the winter of 2002, we began to work out the logistics of paid staff, building specifics, and made a final decision on the homeowner family. Fundraising and increasing awareness both on campus and in the Hanover community became two of our primary concerns, and efforts in these areas continued throughout the year. The Groundbreaking Ceremony to took place in early June of 2002 and construction continued throughout the summer until winter. Throughout these months, Dartmouth students were involved in all aspects of the building process, and provided the bulk of the volunteer labor.
Conclusion of the ’04 House...
Start of the ’06 House
By mid-February 2003, the ’04 House had been completed—a successful culmination of the work of numerous students, volunteers, faculty, parents, community leaders and generous donors. Members of the Dartmouth and Upper Valley community gathered at LaSalette Shrine in June 2003 for a warm dedication ceremony to celebrate Marlene deNutte and her family’s new house. They were presented with a quilt made by schoolchildren who participated in Dartmouth Habitat’s Education Program, who were too young to work on site, but certainly not too young to contribute.
As one chapter closes, another begins. We had envisioned this project to be an ongoing enterprise, with Dartmouth Habitat renewing its commitment to providing decent housing to those in need year after year. Plans have been made to begin the next Dartmouth Habitat House, scheduled for construction during the summer of 2006. We will spend the period between now and then reflecting on our experiences, gathering new talent to provide the leadership for this tremendous effort and raising the funds to make the ’06 House a reality.
Photographs
July 7, 2002: groundbreaking