Jean Burnworth and Heather Mottesheard of Clarksburg are criticizing Habitat for Humanity of Harrison County for building two homes on Oak Street in a once vacant lot next to their own homes.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Jean Burnworth and Heather Mottesheard of Clarksburg are criticizing Habitat for Humanity of Harrison County for building two homes on Oak Street in a once vacant lot next to their own homes.
One of the houses has been vacant for years, Burnworth said. A second house is being built on an adjacent lot without anyone yet chosen to live in it. Burnworth says that violates Habitat's regulations.
Lora Pierce, director of Habitat for Humanity for West Virginia, said her office in Charleston is a "support organization" for Habitat for Humanity in West Virginia.
Pierce said she could not comment on the specific situation in Harrison County.
"We have no regulatory or compliance authority. We provide training and advocacy and awareness and outreach. We have 20 affiliates in West Virginia and 10 have all-volunteer boards," Pierce said.
Jim Hunt, a councilman and former mayor of Clarksburg, is vice president of Habitat for Humanity in Harrison County. Hunt believes his group did nothing wrong.
"Several years ago, a lady donated a dilapidated piece of property to us that was filled with asbestos and rodents. The house was a liability that had to be demolished. Habitat spent its funds to demolish the property and clean it up."
To build homes, Habitat's Harrison County chapter often uses students in the Human Resource Development Foundation, which oversees Youthbuild Programs funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
"It looks like a project for their programs," Burnworth said, referring to Mon Youthbuild and Stanley Technical Institute.
Working with the West Virginia AFL-CIO, Mon Youthbuild trains people between the ages 18 and 24, who have dropped out of high school.
"The AFL-CIO has a training center within walking distance of this site," Hunt said. "The program trains young people who did a good portion of the construction work on the first house. We also use volunteers."
Burnworth said, "No one has lived there for four years and now they are building a second house nobody wants."
Hunt said he had a family ready to move into the first house, and they went through the application process. "But right before they were going to move, they got divorced. They already did their 'sweat equity' [working on the house themselves] and made their deposit.
"That house has been empty for a couple of years, but we are actively looking for families. They have to be creditworthy and give us their deposits.
"Our program appeals to working poor people, people more affected by the current depression than others," Hunt said.
Burnworth and her husband tried to purchase the second lot next to their house, where the second new house is being built, from Habitat for Humanity.
"We made an offer to purchase the lot for $5,000," she said. "We also asked, 'Why are you building another house when no one lives in the first one?'"
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Jean Burnworth and Heather Mottesheard of Clarksburg are criticizing Habitat for Humanity of Harrison County for building two homes on Oak Street in a once vacant lot next to their own homes.
One of the houses has been vacant for years, Burnworth said. A second house is being built on an adjacent lot without anyone yet chosen to live in it. Burnworth says that violates Habitat's regulations.
Lora Pierce, director of Habitat for Humanity for West Virginia, said her office in Charleston is a "support organization" for Habitat for Humanity in West Virginia.
Pierce said she could not comment on the specific situation in Harrison County.
"We have no regulatory or compliance authority. We provide training and advocacy and awareness and outreach. We have 20 affiliates in West Virginia and 10 have all-volunteer boards," Pierce said.
Jim Hunt, a councilman and former mayor of Clarksburg, is vice president of Habitat for Humanity in Harrison County. Hunt believes his group did nothing wrong.
"Several years ago, a lady donated a dilapidated piece of property to us that was filled with asbestos and rodents. The house was a liability that had to be demolished. Habitat spent its funds to demolish the property and clean it up."
To build homes, Habitat's Harrison County chapter often uses students in the Human Resource Development Foundation, which oversees Youthbuild Programs funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
"It looks like a project for their programs," Burnworth said, referring to Mon Youthbuild and Stanley Technical Institute.
Working with the West Virginia AFL-CIO, Mon Youthbuild trains people between the ages 18 and 24, who have dropped out of high school.
"The AFL-CIO has a training center within walking distance of this site," Hunt said. "The program trains young people who did a good portion of the construction work on the first house. We also use volunteers."
Burnworth said, "No one has lived there for four years and now they are building a second house nobody wants."
Hunt said he had a family ready to move into the first house, and they went through the application process. "But right before they were going to move, they got divorced. They already did their 'sweat equity' [working on the house themselves] and made their deposit.
"That house has been empty for a couple of years, but we are actively looking for families. They have to be creditworthy and give us their deposits.
"Our program appeals to working poor people, people more affected by the current depression than others," Hunt said.
Burnworth and her husband tried to purchase the second lot next to their house, where the second new house is being built, from Habitat for Humanity.
"We made an offer to purchase the lot for $5,000," she said. "We also asked, 'Why are you building another house when no one lives in the first one?'"
Commenting on the second home, Hunt said, "We had already laid the foundation. The president and I didn't want to stop construction.
"But we could buy another lot if the Burnsworths and their neighbors paid for that lot, as long as Habitat does not suffer a loss. We make no profits whatsoever. Our costs [on the second house] were already $16,000.
"Mrs. Burnsworth said she would pay $5,000. We said we needed $16,000. She turned us down. We weren't going to take a $10,000 loss," Hunt said.
During the past decade, the Harrison County Habitat chapter has built 10 other houses now occupied by qualified residents.
Burnsworth has also complained to several city and county officials, using e-mails.
Mottesheard and Burnsworth recently released a joint statement stating, "Research has revealed that the local affiliate is not following Habitat for Humanity guidelines and mission statement.
"The families for Habitat homes are supposed to be selected in advance and participate in the building of the house. It turns out that these houses are actually class projects for local vocational schools," Mottesheard and Burnsworth wrote."
Habitat, Hunt said, is actively looking for residents and currently has nine families who have filed applications to live in the two homes on Oak Street.
"People are not given the houses," Hunt added. "They will pay about $35,000 to $40,000 in no-interest mortgages. They are not giveaways. Potential residents must also be employed, have good credit and go through a counseling program."
Hunt said he has also worked building houses for Habitat for Humanity in Poland, Hungary and New Orleans.
Habitat for Humanity chapters face difficult tasks, Pierce said, especially in areas like Harrison County where volunteers make up their entire boards.
"You need 12 to 15 people from a local community to organize a local affiliate. Then you have to raise money and recruit volunteers, including skilled volunteers like plumbers.
"You have to organize a construction committee and try to get retired construction workers to help. You also want to have a legal person to handle mortgages. It helps to have a bookkeeper and an accountant. So much goes into the mission," Pierce said.
"Habitat for Humanity, which has 1,500 local affiliates across the country, frequently encounters NIMBY. But I am not saying that is the case here," Pierce said.
NIMBY stands for "not in my backyard."
Today, Habitat for Humanity is the eighth largest homebuilder in the United States.
Reach Paul J. Nyden at pjny...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5164.
