Habitat for Humanity Breaks Ground on First Hernando Home

On Thursday morning, Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside hosted county leaders and the public for the groundbreaking of the non-profit’s first home in Hernando County. Chik-fil-A and Dunkin Donuts participated in the festivities and provided food and coffee for the attendees.

“This is a historic day for our organization,” said Mike Sutton, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside. “[…] We are excited about the work ahead, and we are eager to serve the hardworking families of Hernando County who are simply looking for an opportunity to own their own home.”

Habitat is set to hit several milestones this year. This year marks the fortieth anniversary of the organization and, later this year, Sutton’s crew is hoping to break ground on their one-thousandth home built across the communities they serve.

With the prices of homes skyrocketing, Sutton and company are excited to partner with families “that are really looking to establish themselves.” Besides building the home, Habitat also helps future property owners by setting them up with an affordable mortgage and a zero-interest mortgage rate.

Kenya Pickering, a single mother of two, looks forward to becoming the first Hernando County homeowner for Tampa Bay Gulfside. As she noted, she is not just being handed the home; she will also be working 350 “sweat equity hours” on Habitat’s build sites, including her own home.

“I am just super excited about it,” Pickering said. “For me, I feel like I won the lottery. I am just thrilled to have this because it is not easy getting here because it takes a lot of work. It is not just handed to you. You really have to work for it, and it is worth it.”

It does not stop there. She will also have to complete a total of 36 homebuyer education classes “to prepare her to be a very successful homeowner,” added Whitney Dinu, executive director of Habitat Tampa Bay Gulfside. In total, the house will take between 16 and 20 weeks to complete.

The partnership came about serendipitously one day when Ms. Pickering was reading the newspaper and came across a story about Habitat’s program. Soon after, she contacted the local non-profit, met the qualifications, and “we have been in communication ever since,” Pickering said.

County leaders such as Jeff Rogers helped Habitat acquire the property and find families that meet the program’s requirements for home ownership. Administrator Rogers considers Habitat for Humanity one of his favorite non-profit organizations.

“You get to see first-hand communities coming together, individuals coming together to bring that kindness and goodness that is in our heart that the Holy Spirit and our Lord puts in us to reach out and help out someone else in the community and lift them up,” said Rogers.

According to Sutton, advocacy is a “key pillar” of Habitat’s mission. So, to ensure that they are able to achieve their goals, the non-profit organization has recently added several “voices” from Hernando County to its board of directors: Robert Ginn, Jr. (President, TGH Brooksville and TGH Spring Hill), Ashley Hofecker (President and CEO of the Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce), Mika Rotunda (Realtor, Heart of Florida Realty), and Ken Wicker (CEO, HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital).

Ms. Pickering may be the first homeowner in Hernando County to receive such a home from Habitat. Still, she certainly will not be the last, as the organization has purchased four other lots for prospective owners. The non-profit’s mission is crucial for strong families and a strong county.

As Administrator Rogers noted, “Homeownership […] is the key to long-term family relations, maintaining that relation […] that next generation will be so much better by building this household and setting them up in a great foundation going forward.”