“We were looking for ways to continue our mission in the county as well as grow. In order to do that we felt that going back to (Habitat for Humanity) was the way to go,” said Kermit Rowe, with the Clark County Fuller Center.
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He said the transition will allow them to work in some capacity with or learn from the thousands of habitat chapters across the globe.
“The Fuller Center had 78 chapters in 20 states. Habitat has around 4,000 worldwide,” Rowe said.
Before making the transition to the Fuller Center in 2015, Rowe said his organization had been part of Habitat for Humanity since the creation of the Clark County nonprofit in 1990.
However, it stopped being a Habitat chapter after the implementation of membership fees.
“For a small chapter that does a couple of houses a year, we simply could not justify paying that money,”Rowe said.
Vince Chase, the president of the board for the Clark County Fuller Center, said his organization would have been obligated to pay a chapter fee of $7,500 if they had stayed with Habitat at the time.
Rowe said by becoming part of the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Dayton, his organization will not have to pay that fee since it will not be a it’s own chapter and their operation would still be solely focused on Clark County.
“All of the funding that will be raised here will stay in the county,” he said.
Rowe said the transition will give them more name recognition in the community as well as allow them to expand their operation.
Chase said the nonprofit has built over 60 new houses since its creation, with the last house being built last year in Springfield.
He added that the plan is to build another home next year and to eventually be able to build around one to two homes a year. The organization has also helped home owners with house repairs as well as engaged in several large housing rehabilitation projects.
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The plan is to also increase the number of home repairs done each year, Rowe and Chase told the News-Sun.
They said the goal is to be able to complete 12 to 15 of those repairs on an annual basis. The nonprofit completed around six of those projects, called “greater blessings,” this year.
Rowe said since transitioning to the Fuller Center, the nonprofit has helped a dozen families in the area. His organization uses volunteers to help families in need by working on home repairs or even building new affordable housing.
Families that partner with the nonprofit can either pay for those service through zero interest loans or are asked to volunteer their time instead.
That model will stay relatively the same once the nonprofit becomes part of Habitat for Humanity, Rowe said.
The Clark County Fuller Center is also looking for more families to work with next year. Those interested can call 937-325-2514.
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