Habitat builds Habi-shack

Jesse August’s white bandana glowed in Monday’s early afternoon sunlight as he knelt on the… Jesse August’s white bandana glowed in Monday’s early afternoon sunlight as he knelt on the plywood roof of the nearly completed “Habi-shack,” constructed annually on the Union lawn by the Pitt Habitat for Humanity chapter.

The group builds it to raise awareness about substandard housing in the United States and worldwide. August and Nick Corsi worked to finish the roof before their classes started.

Monday kicked off Habitat’s weeklong awareness campaign and saw the construction of the shack and the passing of “tool belt day.” The aim of sporting a tool belt was to draw attention to Habitat’s mission of providing safe, affordable housing for disadvantaged families.

“The biggest state in this country is the state of poverty,” Habitat’s stickers state. Approximately 5.1 million Americans and 1.5 billion people worldwide live in substandard housing, characterized by having to pay more than half of a family’s income for housing, living in overcrowded conditions, and living in houses with “severe physical deficiencies” (no heat, running water or electricity), according to Habitat for Humanity’s website.

Habitat provides interest-free mortgages for qualifying applicants, but requires that the homeowners provide 300 hours of “sweat equity,” by either helping to construct their home or by doing office work if they are unable to engage in physical labor.

Working for Habitat “hooked” Paylor : “You get to work with the homeowners. You get to know them and you realize how big a deal it is for them to have this. You realize you’re doing something so much bigger than you ever could on your own.”

Retiring Vice President August began working for Habitat after sighting the shack on campus in his sophomore year. Habitat is “a good opportunity to help,” August said, “it can be hard in college to find community service to do.” The group has workdays nearly every Saturday with one of their three affiliates: Allegheny Valley, Washington County, and the city of Pittsburgh.

Curious students who want to get involved with Habitat but know nothing about nails should not be deterred by their lack of know-how. Because 99 percent of Habitat’s workforce is comprised of volunteers, the group teaches participants what they need to know, covering everything from how to hold a hammer to how to frame a wall, Paylor explained.

The week will feature a speech by a Habitat homeowner, a pot-luck dinner, and a “Twist-a-thon,” where squares of plywood become over-sized Twister boards. Additionally, “We have five people committed to living in the shack” from Monday until Friday, said Stephanie Paylor, to demonstrate the inconvenience and difficulties inherent in substandard housing.

“We’re allowed to go home,” Stephanie Paylor said, “but we can’t eat, sleep, shower, or go to the bathroom there. All of that has to be done in public spaces.”

Because they are no longer allowed to cook over an open flame on the Union lawn, the shack’s residents will not turn down snacks offered to them by passers-by.

The goal is to have people get involved and have fun, August said.

“Even if you don’t do Habitat, it’s important to help out relative to what your talents and abilities are,” Corsi added.