Habitat for Humanity Homeowners –

For The Jeffreys, It’s More Than Just Habitat – It’s Home

By Andrew Gorosko

Sarah and Jim Jeffrey sit in their modern Sandy Hook kitchen illuminated by soft daylight streaming in from northern, western and southern exposures.

They had been waiting for a long time for a home of their own, and now they have it.

Their contemporary farmhouse-style home sits adjacent to a stand of trees just west of Philo Curtis Road, not far from Treadwell Park.

Sarah and Jim, who have been married seven years, have a son, Paul, 41/2 . They also live with Jim’s son from a previous marriage, Brian, 14. Sadie, a frisky pound mutt who is part German shorthaired pointer, and  Max, an affable feline, plus Sunset, a corn snake, round out the household.

 The modern, compact house where the Jeffreys live was the product of much effort by many volunteers who joined together to construct Housatonic Habitat for Humanity’s (HHH) first house in Newtown. HHH is an independent, non-profit affiliate of the international Christian housing ministry Habitat for Humanity based in Americus, Georgia.

Building a Habitat house in Newtown was in the talking stages for many years. After the proposal gained the endorsement of the town government in the form of a land donation to build two Habitat houses, the project encountered opposition from adjacent property owners concerned that the presence of the houses would adversely affect them. One lawsuit filed against the two-home project has been settled. Another lawsuit is still pending.

Although the project encountered opposition from some immediate neighbors, other people in the neighborhood have been friendly, Jim said.

  “We’re meeting them slowly,” said Sarah.

Sarah explained they learned in 1996 through a newspaper article that Habitat was seeking families interested in owning a Habitat house in Newtown. So she and Jim applied, entering a long paperwork and interview process.

Eventually they learned they had been selected and were very happy at the news.

But the home building project proved to be controversial and the project stopped for a time, Jim explained.

Fortunately, their landlord did not pressure them to move from their former residence on Old Mill Road, so they were able to live there until they moved to their new home recently.

The Jeffreys explained that their participation in the home building project alternated between periods of excitement and frustration.

“It was incredibly frustrating at points. But on the same day, it could be so satisfying,” Sarah said.

“The people – they were amazing to meet,” she said of the dozens of residents and out-of-towners that gathered regularly to help construct the 1,200-square-foot house which has two stories and a basement.

The Jeffreys bought the three-bedroom house through a no-interest mortgage offered by Habitat. Habitat required them to make a one percent down payment and contribute 400 hours of “sweat equity” to the homebuilding project.

“We ended up doing 700 hours,” said Sarah. That work included clearing the property for construction, carpentry and applying siding. Licensed tradesmen handled electrical work and plumbing.

“I had never seen anything like this,” Jim said of the marshaled volunteer effort needed to construct the house. “Habitat has a great system,” he said, describing the organization of volunteer labor, the donation of building materials, and the homebuilding method.

Area churches, corporations and individuals made donations for the construction of the Jeffrey house and another house now under construction next door. That ranch-style should be completed next year.

Since the Jeffreys moved into their new home, they have been busy. “There’s been so much to do around here,” Jim said. There is always some job to tackle, he said.

 “You’re getting a house at a price you could never get on the open market,” Jim said, noting that the Habitat system has made it possible for him and his wife to become homeowners. The house’s appraised value is about $200,000, but the Jeffreys bought it for much less money, based on the volunteer labor used to construct it and the donated building materials.

The Jeffreys had considered buying an existing house in town, but the buildings on the market are out of their price range. Newtown was not always an expensive place to live, but it has become so over the years, Jim said. “It wasn’t always expensive here. Things have changed,” he said.

Jim is the son of Doug Jeffrey, a retired teacher who taught for many years at Newtown Middle School. Jim grew up in the Dogwood Terrace neighborhood off South Main Street. He works as a commercial artist and fine art framer. He draws humor and political cartoons for publication, as well as caricatures. An art lover, he enjoys reading and baseball. Being in Yankee Stadium is a very special experience, he explains.

Sarah, who is a waitress, enjoys gardening, photography and swimming. Formerly an Ohio resident, she has lived in Connecticut for almost 10 years.

 Habitat held dedication ceremonies for the Jeffrey house in September. More than 100 people attended. Churches which agreed to support the home building project with prayers and resources are Trinity Episcopal Church of Newtown, St Stephen’s Episcopal Church of Ridgefield, St Paul’s Church of Brookfield, New Fairfield Congregational Church, the First Congregational Church of Ridgefield, and the First Church of Christ Congregational of Redding.