Sweat equity pays off big

400 hours of work put Amanda Noel in her new Habitat home

Amanda Noel stands in front of her new home before its dedication on Monday. Noel, like all Habitat for Humanity home recipients, was required to put in work hours during construction.
Amanda Noel stands in front of her new home before its dedication on Monday. Noel, like all Habitat for Humanity home recipients, was required to put in work hours during construction.

After a year of working with River City Habitat for Humanity, Amanda Noel, 31, will finally be able to call herself a homeowner.

River City Habitat for Humanity hosted a Monday dedication ceremony for Noel as she accepted the keys to her new home on the 500 block of Ashley Street.

"This is a very exciting moment," Noel said. "I've learned so much throughout the process."

In order to qualify for a Habitat home, Noel had to have a need for a home, have the ability to pay the mortgage and be willing to partner with the organization by completing sweat equity hours. Sweat equity hours are similar to volunteer hours as an applicant helps with building other homes while learning some necessary skills about painting, using different kinds of wood, hanging drywall and siding.

Noel completed 400 sweat equity hours during her one-year partnership. She said these skills would help her in the long run; she won't't have to ask for help or pay someone to do that kind of work.

Norm Robinson, president of the River City Habitat for Humanity board, and Colleen Carl, assistant director of the River City Habitat for Humanity, were both proud to have helped Noel through the process.

"Its been officially three hours since Amanda signed the papers," Robinson said. "It really gives me joy to see people like Amanda become homeowners."

Carl explained Noel will have a no-interest loan where she makes payments just like any other homeowner would except the payments are made to the organization.

"The payments include property taxes and homeowners insurance just like a regular mortgage," Carl said. "Throughout this process, these payments are reported to the credit bureau, which helps applicants with future property investments."

"This program helps people who wouldn't be able to get a traditional loan," added Monica Smith, a future Habitat homeowner.

To help Noel celebrate, she was joined at the dedication ceremony by representatives from the Habit for Humanity ReStore, a primary source of funding for Habitat homes; Tuesday Crew, a volunteer-based organization that helps with construction; Rev. David Henry of First Presbyterian Church and other future Habitat homeowners.

Robinson thanked the Restore, Tuesday crew and Quaker Windows and Doors for their continued sponsorship.

At the end of the ceremony, Noel was presented a variety of gifts including a quilt and a cookbook by the Missouri River Quilt Guild and books donated by Scholastics for her son.

"It seemed like a long journey with no days off, but it was all worth it," said Noel.