DeeDee Wier, communications director for Comal County Habitat for Humanity, said the nonprofit offers different services depending on what families need help with. Those services include partnering with the families, who are required to do 350 hours of “sweat equity” working on various projects. Then the Habitat for Humanity will build with them a brand-new home.
Wier also said the Comal Habitat for Humanity offers a repair program for those who have housing that needs repairs.
A team can go in and make repairs and make the house livable as long as possible.
If the repairs needed for a house are too expensive, Comal County Habitat for Humanity will enroll the residents in its rebuild program, which provides the family with a rebuilt home.
Wier said when she started volunteering at Comal County Habitat for Humanity, it became a passion, and she could relate to the families seeking their services.
“Being a single mother and having two kids and living in a household where I’m with my parents right now, I saw this as an opportunity for families just like me, individuals just like me who are looking to be living out on their own, but with the cost of land and housing, it’s just unaffordable to us.”
Wier said Comal County Habitat for Humanity gets daily walk-ins of people seeking assistance and daily phone calls as well.
Wier said she is excited about the future of Comal County Habitat for Humanity. Due to the rising cost of living, it has started focusing on smaller units for smaller families but plans to build larger units in the future.
“We have found that larger developments where we’re having multifamily units as far as attached homes, townhomes, those are what we are building now into the future,” Wier said.
Wier said they serve all parts of the community.“I would say that no matter who you are, definitely reach out to us because we service all kinds of families, whether you’re a single-family unit, you have co-parents, you are by yourself, maybe you don’t have a family or an individual, we service everyone,” Wier said.
A place to call home
There are four qualifications to receive assistance from Comal County Habitat for Humanity, in which the applicant must: Have lived or worked in Comal County for the previous 12 months; Must meet federal income guidelines based on their family size; Provide at least 350 hours of sweat equity consisting of work in the Restore, on their future home site or homebuyer classes; and Demonstrate a need for housing assistance.
Comal County Habitat for Humanity
1269 Industrial St., New Braunfels 830-624-4025 • www.comalhabitat.org
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Sat.-Sun.
