Habitat homeowners find Sisters mostly supportive

Sisters Habitat for Humanity has been active in the community since 1991, providing safe haven and encouragement for many families in sore need of both.

Working with families who are unable to qualify for conventional mortgages, Habitat for Humanity requires approved families to provide 500 minimum hours of “sweat equity” toward their homes. This equity takes the form of hands-on labor on their homes and community service. Two hundred of the hours are completed even before ground is broken on the homesite.

An ongoing challenge for Sisters Habitat is finding affordable, buildable land within the Sisters school district. Competition is fierce for available sites, and not many sellers are willing to go below market rates. Habitat has, of necessity, become creative in the ways acquired land is utilized.

All this can create a perception in the community that Habitat homeowners are getting something for, well, not much, according to one homeowner who will soon be moving into her home.

Robin Tawney was on the receiving end of a comment to the effect that if people cannot afford homes in Sisters, then they should move to Redmond.

“I hope that it’s ignorance, not apathy, that makes people say things like that,” she said.

Tawney wrote a letter to the editor in The Nugget on September 14, challenging several stereotypes she believes some in the community hold about Habitat home owners:

Organizing the time to complete the sweat equity hours is challenging, especially when one works full-time, which many Habitat homeowners do. But the dream of homeownership spurs them on. Tawney will be moving with her daughter, Mikaela, into their home in November, after 18 months of working with the volunteers who have made her dream reality.

Jackie and Nick Shepardson have lived in their Habitat home for just under a year. One of their children has specific special needs, necessitating a fenced back yard and separate bedrooms for each child. They fielded comments that their house seemed small for the neighborhood, but stood firm in what their family’s needs were.

“Maybe it is a little small, but it’s our home, and I love my home,” said Jackie. “The longer we’ve been in it, the more I see the wonderful things of (our own home).”

The Shepardsons have heard whispers of negative comment about the size of the homes and also the fact that many of them are duplexes or townhomes. But none of the comments are directed toward them as homeowners.

They have found tremendous support for the work that Habitat does throughout the community.

Rick and Theresa Slavkosky became the first Habitat homeowners in Sisters in 1992. Rick has never had a negative conversation concerning the work Habitat does or fielded any negative attitude directed toward him. Sometimes in conversation, when people discover his involvement with Habitat, they become curious about how it works, he said.

He noted how supportive the local builders and suppliers are, and how well- supported the Habitat Thrift Store is. He also credits the encouragement he received from Habitat personnel with allowing him to attend night school to train as an electrician.

“Because of Habitat, we’ve had too many opportunities to list to become involved in the community,” Slavkosky said. “And it’s not like you can just move to Redmond any more if you can’t afford to live here,” he added, acknowledging that housing anywhere in Central Oregon is getting difficult for those on average-or-below incomes to afford.

Slavkosky’s youngest daughter, Rose, a senior at Sisters High School, has served on the Habitat board for three years. There is always a high school member, and Rose is in her third year. “Usually it is a member of the Key Club (the high school chapter of Kiwanis) because they work with Habitat,” she said. Her role is as liaison, capturing the energy of youth to help on Habitat projects.

“It’s great being on the other side of the table. I remember (when our house was being built) helping to smooth the concrete and picking up nails at the worksite. I was only four years old, but I remember how excited we were when we found out we were approved. My favorite board meetings are when we approve families,” she said.

She said she has never felt any negative vibes from her peers, proving that the measure of a person is not where you live, but how.