blhe Tar Heel Thursday, July 31, 1986
Volunteers invest in people,
build Habitats for Humanity
By KATIE WHITE
Staff Writer
The Triangle area is one of the
fastest developing areas in the coun
try, and new houses, condominiums
and office complexes are sprouting
up faster than dandelions in May.
Development has become quite an
investment and people of the profes
sion have found lots of work to do.
Yet another kind of development
is going up outside of Chapel Hill,
concerned with a different kind of
investment and a different kind of
people. It is called Habitat for
Humanity, a non-profit Christian
housing organization which helps
communities build adequate housing
for the poor.
"We call it decent housing for
. God's people," said Carol Stevens,
volunteer coordinator. "Everyone
deserves a decent house."
Habitat for Humanity builds
houses for needy families without
adequate shelter. The houses are sold
to families at no profit, with a no
interest mortgage to be repaid over
the next 15 to 25 years. The house
payments made are then funneled
back to Habitat for Humanity
through a local "Fund for Human
ity." Original capital is raised through
gifts of cash, building materials or
interest-free loans.
Habitat for Humanity was
founded near Americus, Ga., by
Millard Fuller, a lawyer and 'busi
nessman. He was joined by the late
Dr. Clarence Jordan, a scholar and
farmer, and the two set about trying
to deal practically with the problems
of substandard housing. They
formed Koinonia Partners and their
idea of a non-profit, no-interest,
volunteer program to help build
decent housing became a reality. In
1973, Fuller moved to Zaire to see
if his ideas could work in developing
nations. It did. The success of
housing projects in Mbandaka,
Zaire, inspired them to incorporate
as Habitat for Humanity, and these
building projects have spread
worldwide.
"We Ye had lots of support from
the community," says Moses Carey,
one of the volunteers in the Orange
County affiliate of Habitat for
Humanity and member of the
County Board of Commissioners. In
the three years the organization has
been in operation locally, it has raised
close to $90,000 in donated materials
and cash.
The project is governed by a local,
interdenominational committee or
board of directors which sets up an
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impartial family selection process.
The committee or board also makes
sure that the houses are not bought
and then resold immediately for a
huge profit. Habitat for Humanity's
reliance on volunteer labor also helps
cut housing costs.
Locally, Habitat is now in the
process of building their first house
on a subdivision lot off of Jo Mac
Road, west of Chapel Hill. The
subdivision, called Chestnut Oaks,
was donated to Habitat from Access
Inc. and has room for 50 houses and
a 27-acre Tecreation area. The house
now being renovated was moved in
three sections from Chapel Hill and
reassembled on the Chestnut Oak
property. Volunteers gather there
every Saturday and work on different
building projects under the guidance
of Sam Wilburn, a local independent
contractor.
Mahlon and Vanessa Williams and
their six children were the first
accepted family in the selection
process and were offered to oppor
tunity to purchase the house. The
family comes out to the plot and
pitches in every Saturday.
Stevens said that chosen families
do have to pay between $100 to $200
per month for the housing, but this
drastically undercuts the average cost
for a home that can house a family
of eight. Williams, employed by the
town of Carrboro, said they just
couldn't find a home that was
affordable. "People with moderate to
poor income cannot afford to buy
housing in Orange County," Carey
said.
Habitat is in need of volunteers;
anyone who has a strong back and
willingness to work is invited. Build-
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Volunteer Phillip Hubbard works on a home's interior
ing skills are not a prerequisite.
Ideally, the group members said that
they would like to finish the first
house by the end of the year. Wilburn
has been hired on a full-time basis
to guide any and all help, as well as
coordinate the materials and other
professional help needed. Volunteers
can call Carol Stevens at 967-6590
to discuss how they can help.
Recent UNC School of Law graduate to serve
as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stevens clerk
By DWIQHT MARTIN
Staff Writer
A recent UNC Law School grad
uate has been named to a one-year
term as clerk to U.S. Supreme Court
Justice John Paul Stevens.
Teresa Wynn Roseborough, class
of 1986, will begin working with
Stevens next July, according to news
reports.
Such an appointment "is a tre
mendous boost for any lawyer's
career," Kenneth S. Broun, Law
School dean and one of Rosebo-
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rough's former professors, said in a
recent interview. Broun called such
a position "the ultimate."
"It is much deserved," he added. "
Having an alumna receive such a
prestigious appointment is "a feather
in the cap of any law school," Broun
said. "I wish we could take the credit
(for Roseborough's appointment),
but she had all the ability" before
coming to the School of Law.
Roseborough possesses impressive
- academic credentials. She graduated
in the top five in her class, Broun
said. "She is one of the best classroom
students I have had in 18 years of
teaching."
During her final academic year she
was elected editor of the Law Review.
This is a high honor, Broun said,
because editors are elected to the
position by their peers.
To be considered for appointment,
Broun said applicants must apply to
individual Justices. Roseborough
was one of hundreds of applicants
for a Stevens clerkship, he added.
Roseborough is currently serving
as clerk to 4th U.S. Circuit Court
of Appeals Judge J. Dickson Phillips.
She will do for Stevens what she
is presently doing for Phillips, Broun
said. Her duties will include research
ing cases, drafting opinions and
sitting in on oral arguments.
Roseborough is the fourth UNC
Law School graduate selected to
serve as Supreme Court clerk.