Three single mothers who have for years struggled to find an affordable home will soon become neighbors and first-time homeowners. Each family, all Edgewood residents, will move into newly constructed town houses on a quiet cul-de-sac in Havre de Grace.
While their mothers are chatting about the earth-toned carpet, the convenience of an upstairs laundry room and the sleek kitchen counters, seven kids are ecstatic about having bedrooms of their own and are eyeing the second-floor alcoves for computers and TVs.
"I tried for 10 years to put my family into a good home in a great neighborhood," said Tina Dunker, whose two teenage daughters were already planning their bedroom decor. "Thank you, Havre de Grace, for welcoming my family to your family."
Habitat for Humanity, working with Pulte Homes, Mid-Atlantic Division, made homeownership possible for Denise Smith-Williams and her 14-year-old son, Justin; for Candice Brooks and her sons, George, 23, Trent, 16, and Derek, 10; and for Dunker and her daughters, Shannon, 16, and Brandi, 13.
"You have given us all something to be truly proud of," said Smith-Williams.
Pulte has, for the third consecutive year, participated in a nationwide building blitz, organized by Habitat, a nonprofit organization that provides home-ownership opportunities to families in need. Founded in 1976, the charity has built nearly 300,000 homes worldwide.
Habitat typically provides the land, house plans and the foundation and looks for a willing builder.
"Pulte gets the Habitat mission and understands our families," said Joann Blewett, executive director of Harford's Habitat chapter.
The homes bring to six the number that Pulte has built in Harford County for the organization, all during the annual blitz campaign.
"Three homes are remarkable, especially during this downturn in housing," Blewett said. "The economy is affecting everything and making it harder for organizations like ours to raise money. We really only had enough money this year for one home, but Pulte said it would build all three."
Nationwide, the blitz this year yielded about half of the more than 500 homes that were built in 2006, and Pulte was probably the only builder to construct three houses, Blewett said.
Pulte's crews and subcontractors built all three homes in a little more than four days. Even a lightning storm and a heavy downpour did not deter the blitz. Crews just pulled out tarps, lashed them to truck bumpers and side-view mirrors and continued hammering.
