Verde Valley Habitat for Humanity broke ground on a new home project in Rimrock on Thursday, Sept. 7.
The homeowner will be Mercedes Ibarra, a mother of four, who is employed full-time and is also a fulltime student studying early childhood development.
Lisa DeLight, Verde Valley Habitat for Humanity’s interim executive director, said that Mercedes’ journey started with the application process. An applicant must be a resident of the Verde Valley for a minimum of one year, have an inability to purchase a home on the open real estate market and be living in crowded or substandard conditions or lack a living space entirely.
“It is not easy to become an approved Verde Valley Habitat for Humanity homeowner,” DeLight said. “It’s much easier for the typical homeowner to work with a financial institution to get qualified to purchase a home.”
When a resident applies to become a Habitat for Humanity homeowner, the application is first reviewed by their homeowner selection committee. If the applicant is qualified and has the ability to pay an affordable mortgage rate, the committee completes a background check, a sex offender check and a credit check. The committee then does home visits with the applicant.
DeLight added that a prospective homeowner also has to complete between 300 and 450 hours of volunteer work with Verde Valley Habitat for Humanity, which consists of helping with the construction of their own home and providing support services at events or the Verde Valley Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
“Homeowners’ success is our goal and our mission,” DeLight said. “We know our homeowners are successful and that our program works. VVHH has had four homeowners pay off their mortgage in the last 27 years that we have existed.”
Verde Valley Habitat for Humanity holds onto their homeowners and keeps track of them until the day they burn their mortgage, even if that is 20 or 30 years in the future.
“Children are her life and her passion,” DeLight said of Ibarra. “Now she is qualified and working with sweat equity, and here today to give her kids the home that they deserve.” DeLight pointed out that Ibarra’s children were already having fun playing in what would soon be their own front yard.
The celebration featured a Star Wars theme, including the burying of a Star Wars time capsule that Ibarra’s family will dig up once they pay off their mortgage. Participants wrote their good wishes on cards that were included in the capsule. A ceremonial groundbreaking ended the event.
“It was definitely emotional,” Ibarra said. Sticking to the Star Wars theme, she added, “The force is strong with this one.”
