For such a tiny bit of metal, a house key can present some of the most precious moments of a person’s life.
Opening that freshly painted front door for the first time can lead to family dinners, holiday gatherings, and the stability of knowing you have your own space.
And behind this moment, for some hardworking Idaho families, is a vetting process, thousands of volunteer hours, nails and screws and paint, and the love of a community.
We All Need a Place to Live
“Housing is something that touches everyone's lives,” Treasure Valley Habitat for Humanity CEO Janessa Chastain said. “They know somebody who is struggling to find a house, struggling to afford it, struggling to pay rent. They have had to make choices or sacrifices in their life in order to get the housing that they have. And so it's something that we all are very aware of. Most people at this point know that housing in the Treasure Valley is a struggle and finding affordable housing is a problem here.”
That’s where volunteers and the Treasure Valley Habitat for Humanity step in.
Prospective Homeowners
Habitat doesn’t keep a perpetually open list of those who need a home. Instead, the organization identifies the house or housing they can build on the land they have. Size restrictions, city information, and other information are then sent out as the application process opens up. Meetings help applicants figure out what they need to apply, such as why they feel they need a Habitat house and their ability to repay a mortgage.
“Then from there, we go through a selection process based on a variety of factors, the ability to repay, the willingness to partner with us, and the situation that they're in – what does their need look like?” Chastain said. “And then we will select the number of families that we have determined for the project. And then from there, that can sort of depend. We do build the houses one at a time. So once they're selected from construction to end, depending on where they are in the construction order, it can be four months to a year-and-a-half.”
After selection, the families spend pre-construction volunteering at ReStores or at the Habitat office and events.
“Once their home is under construction, we ask them to be there every week and spend usually a Saturday, if that works for their schedules, out on the job site being an active part,” Chastain said.
Laying a Strong Foundation
Right now, the organization is working on a four-house build for 2027, with the first being put together by the Women Build team.
“It's a way to lift up women in the trades,” Chastain said. “I think often women's role in construction and other construction-related trades is really underestimated. And so Habitat for Humanity International partnered with Home Depot to lift up their voices and let people see them at the forefront of building.”
The last time Habitat did a Women Build project was back in 2000.
“We decided it was a long past due time for us to bring back the Women's Build,” Chastain said. “Especially because we had already so many women-led businesses or women tradespeople that were working with us. And so we wanted an opportunity to celebrate them.”
In addition to tradespeople, volunteer builders are an essential part of any Habitat home.
“A lot of our volunteer groups are not people who’ve ever picked up a hammer before,” Chastain said. “And so part of the great challenge and joy for our construction manager, Frank Christmann, is he gets to teach people how to use all of the tools, how to cut boards to size, and make sure that the floor choices are properly secured.
“People get to learn a new skill and really realize how capable they are of doing incredible things. So I'd say probably more of our volunteers are using the tools for the first or second time when they get out to the site. And we still pull off incredibly well-constructed homes. We want people to have a good experience, but more than that, we want the home to be a very, very good home for many generations. And we do manage to balance that well.”
Coming Home
“Handing over the keys, hands down, is the coolest thing that I get to do,” Chastain said. “I could have never imagined how it would feel the first time I got to hand over that keychain and know that somebody's entire world was going to be changed. And I cannot express enough how lucky I am that that gets to be my job.”
Chastain said each home dedication holds a special place, but one little girl stood out.
“She grabs my hand and walks me around the house and she shows me all of the places that her mom hammered a nail or her dad painted,” she said. “And then she takes me to her room and proceeds to tell me how excited she is to put up all of her Harry Styles posters on her walls. And she can use pushpins. And it was a level of excitement that I sort of forget can exist because this was the place that was hers forever. And so she got to make it whatever she wanted. She got to have whatever dreams she wanted for what she would do in that house. And it is what I want every kid to have – their greatest worry to be about how they can secure their posters to their wall.”
It’s a special moment for the family and the volunteers as well.
“For our volunteers to get to come be hands-on as part of this solution, I think makes them feel like they're getting to really address something that is such an issue for so many people in our community,” Chastain said. “They also get to be a part of one of the happiest moments of someone's life. They very literally pounded the nails to make it happen.”
Welcome Your Neighbor
Outside of homebuilding, Chastain said she’s been reflecting on other ways to build our community.
“I just want to encourage people to welcome in their neighbors, to welcome in all the different ways that a family might look and all the different places that a family might come from,” she said. “We are about bringing people together to create a safe home. And part of creating a safe home is also really fostering the reminders that we are in this together and we have the responsibility to care about one another. And so…if it's not volunteering or donating or some way of participating with Habitat, find a way to care about your neighbor and to be a part of making their life a little bit better.”
To support Treasure Valley Habitat for Humanity, visit tvhabitat.org.