A Pope Francis House is coming to Little Rock.
An anonymous out-of-state donor has provided an initial $60,000 in funding for a home to be built by Habitat for Humanity of Pulaski County in honor of the pontiff. Catholic Charities of Arkansas has joined the project and is helping to organize central Arkansas churches to provide volunteers.
Habitat for Humanity is an international Christian nonprofit dedicated to putting God’s love into action by building houses.
Habitat development director Steve Biernacki said he has worked with denominational and interdenominational groups before to build homes, but he believes this project will be the biggest he has seen.
“The fact that we are dealing with so many parishes and so many people and it is in honor of the current pope, it’s going to be bigger than anything we have experienced,” he said. “We need to get the Catholic community involved, particularly the youth. That is the push: To get the youth involved and get them into mission work in their own backyard and show them how they can give back to the community.
“That is the part I am excited about. We are talking about a whole generation of young men and women who will get exposure to this type of project, and in 15, 20, 30 years from now they are watching their kids go through the whole deal as well. We are building the foundation and hopefully setting it up for success that it is an ongoing tradition.”
A number of Little Rock area parishioners have already volunteered to assist, said Patrick Gallaher, executive director of Catholic Charities of Arkansas.
“I was kind of surprised,” Gallaher said of his first notice about the donation. “I was dealing with Habitat in Faulkner County. I knew their potential. It was a way to engage a family and build a good family life in at least one instance. I hope it works.”
The goal is to have the house completed and a family ready to move in by the time Pope Francis visits the United States in September. Similar projects are being constructed in at least 13 other cities, including St. Louis, Huntersville, N.C., Jackson, Miss., Wichita, Kan., Charlottesville, Va., Buffalo, N.Y., Evansville, Ind., Pike’s Peak, Colo., Gainesville, Fla., Green Bay, Detroit, Sacramento and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In each city the diocese and Catholic community came together to build the house and raise additional funds.
“I don’t know if we will ever find out,” Biernacki said of how many “Pope Francis builds” there are. “We know there are lots of other cities, but we don’t know how many cities. That’s like $600,000 (in donations). That is absolutely amazing.”
In each city the diocese and Catholic community came together to build the house and raise additional funds. Habitat for Humanity said the goal of the project is “to honor Pope Francis for his commitment to social justice and reinvigorating the Catholic Church.”
Forming a long-term relationship with Habitat for Humanity of Pulaski County is possible, Gallaher said.
“We can do one house at a time,” he said. “If this is successful, then we can start working on another one next year.”
The Little Rock home will be built like traditional Habitat houses. A qualified family was selected by a Habitat committee and the minimum of $80,000 was raised to start the project. Some labor and materials are donated to keep the housing costs down. The selected family must provide “sweat equity” by helping to construct their home with other volunteers. The family, who has attended financial planning courses, will pay back the zero-interest loan over 30 years. The mortgage payment is usually less than $400 a month, which includes property taxes, loan payment and insurance, Biernacki said.
The additional $20,000 to complete the Pope Francis house is coming from two other donors, but it is the hope that more money can be raised for additional homes in 2016.
“We are raising it through CHI St. Vincent, and Wells Fargo donated the land and $10,000,” Biernacki said.
Gallaher said a “wall-raising” ceremony will be held at 8 a.m., Thursday, July 2 at 5608 Geyer Springs Road in Little Rock. Following a prayer service and safety meeting, volunteers will immediately begin raising pre-fabricated exterior and interior walls.
Construction will continue five Saturdays, July 11, 18 and 25 and Aug. 1 and 15. Installation of plumbing, electrical and heating and air will be completed by professionals in August and September.
Volunteers at least 16 years old are invited to sign up for any of the 8 a.m.-noon shifts. No construction experience is necessary. At the end of the build, it is possible for younger children to be on the site to assist with landscaping. Everyone present on the worksite must complete a waiver form, and minors must have forms signed by their parents.
The waiver is available at habitatpulaski.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=8&reset=1.
Anyone with questions or wanting to donate labor, material or funds should contact Gallaher at pgallaher@dolr.org or Biernacki at developmentdirector@habitatpulaski.org.
