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NewsMarch 28, 2007

In 1977, Clive Rainey drove the first nail into a home built by Habitat for Humanity. On Tuesday, almost 30 years later, Habitat for Humanity's first volunteer met with members of the local Habitat affiliate and other community members at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau...

Clive Rainey spoke of his experience with Habitat for Humanity. (Fred Lynch)
Clive Rainey spoke of his experience with Habitat for Humanity. (Fred Lynch)

In 1977, Clive Rainey drove the first nail into a home built by Habitat for Humanity.

On Tuesday, almost 30 years later, Habitat for Humanity's first volunteer met with members of the local Habitat affiliate and other community members at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau.

The organization that famously provides "a hand up, not a handout" was formed in Americus, Ga., in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller. At the time, Rainey taught school for seventh- and eighth-graders at a poor school system in the city.

"I was literally teaching them how to read," Rainey said. "I had a little girl say to me, 'Why do we have to learn this stuff anyways?'"

Rainey told her if she had a better education, she would have a better life. The little girl responded, "That's what they told my mama."

Later that night, Rainey went to the young girl's home.

"They lived in a shack in the middle of a cornfield," he said. "There were no doors, no windows, no running water, no electricity and no hope in that house."

For weeks, the Fullers had been encouraging Rainey to travel to Africa, where the couple was focusing its housing efforts. But Rainey felt the need to build affordable and adequate housing in the United States was just as important.

"I wanted to see them working here at home, so I showed them some land in the city, and a few days later, they gave me the deed to the land and told me to get started," Rainey said. "I selected the first families and helped build the first house."

Rainey also brought the concept of "sweat equity" to Habitat for Humanity. Buyers of Habitat homes must perform 350 sweat-equity hours in helping build the home.

Since the group's inception, Habitat's goal has been to eliminate substandard housing worldwide.

"In my heart I believe the goal will be reached, but we are very far away from doing it," Rainey said.

To date, Habitat has constructed about 250,000 houses worldwide, and 71 new homes are built each day.

"We've housed more than half a million people, but we're told there's 1.5 billion people worldwide who are living in substandard housing," Rainey said. "We've still got a long way to go."

Helping the international Habitat goal is the Cape Girardeau affiliate, which formed in 1986. Over the past 21 years, the local Habitat organization has constructed 25 homes in Cape Girardeau.

But the local affiliate wants to increase its efforts, building the same number of houses -- 25 -- over the next five years.

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Cape Girardeau businessman Robin Cole is development chairman for Habitat. He is confident the group will be able to raise the money for the 25 houses, which equals about $1.65 million. Habitat members are working on tax credit deals they can exchange for materials and more corporate sponsorships, as well as an increase in the $15,000 they get in private donations, Cole said. They get back about $75,000 a year from the new owners of the houses they've already built.

"It's going to happen," Cole said. "I don't want to be unhumble, but I know we can raise the money in this community."

Cole said the average three-bedroom house rents for $667 a month and the utility bill runs about $200 a month. Habitat wants to provide a more affordable option for families who need help establishing themselves as homeowners.

"What we're doing is building a house and selling it without any profit," Cole said. "We don't even charge interest on the loan."

People who want to live in a Habitat home must earn 25 percent to 50 percent of the median family income, Cole said, which averages about $7 to $14 an hour for a family of four combined. Family heads must hold jobs.

The new homeowners must also pay insurance up front, about $250, along with making the payments of about $350 a month, which goes back to Habitat to build more homes.

Rainey said Cape Girardeau's goal "thrills the international organization."

"We'd like to see that goal double, triple and even quadruple over the years," he said. "Good, affordable housing is a great thing for Cape Girardeau because you will have lower crime, better education and better health. The whole community will benefit from it."

The Cape Girardeau affiliate is also serving as an "umbrella" for two additional Habitats that are forming in Perryville, Mo., and Sikeston, Mo. Rainey will speak to the groups in both cities today and Thursday.

Kristen Klaus serves on the Habitat for Humanity seven-member steering committee in Perryville.

"I think in any community there are families out there who deserve a house of their own," Klaus said. "With a small community like Perryville, I think everyone will come together to make this work."

The Perryville Habitat for Humanity has a goal to construct one house this year, Klaus said.

"We're not sure about our goal for the upcoming years," she said. "Our hope is that this goes over so well that will be able to build even more homes in the future."

Clive Rainey spoke of his experience with Habitat for Humanity. (Fred Lynch)

Watch Clive Rainey speak

jfreeze@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 246

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