HUD Support of Habitat for Humanity and Coppertree Apartments

Field Office Director Russell M. Beckley III and Equal Opportunity Specialist Michele Hutchins attend homebuilding blitz.

Field Office Director Russell M. Beckley III and Equal Opportunity Specialist Michele Hutchins, third from right, participated in the ground breaking event.

By tradition and design, Habitat for Humanity requires participants to invest "sweat equity" in the home they're receiving help to buy. But when professionals like the Home Builders volunteer to build a house and donate it to Habitat, it's a good idea for novices to get out of the way while a real homebuilding blitz takes place.

In just three days, the Home Builders Association of Greater Salt Lake built an energy-efficient 1200 square foot house with three bedrooms and one bath. Construction began on Monday morning by Friday afternoon, the home was completely finished, including and landscaping. The Home Builders' hands-on donation to Habitat for
Humanity was made possible through the hard work of 250 construction professionals who volunteered their time and expertise to the blitz. This is the fifth year in a row that the Home Builders built a Habitat home in Utah.

The lucky homebuyer is Tracy Elkins, a single mother with three children. Since the concept of sweat equity is crucial to the Habitat for Humanity philosophy, Ms Elkins will spend 200 hours helping build other homes before she can move into hers. Since Habitat for Humanity Homes is currently building its first-ever full subdivision, Ms Elkins will invest her time and effort in the new Wolstenholme Home Project in Magna, Utah, where fifteen other Habitat homes will be built. Presently five of the homes are completed.

HUD and many of the Department's programs strongly support this concept - for example, the new subdivision will use $530,000 in HUD's HOME program funds. The assistance, allocated to Salt Lake County, will be used to purchase land and install infrastructure. HUD's Utah Field Office Director Russell Beckley III and Operations
Specialist Michele Hutchins are serving as liaisons to this unique Home Builders/Habitat project.

Coppertree Apartments Groundbreaking

Armando Alvarez, of American Housing of Utah is the developer for the two-phase Coppertree Apartments housing project. Phase I will consist of an 88-unit affordable housing apartment complex. The project will have 11 buildings, a recreation center, pool, spa and small park for the children. The total cost for phase I is approximately $8 million, in which, $800,000 is HUD HOME funds administered through Salt Lake County and has been used for land acquisition. There will be $5.6 million of tax credits and the remaining funds needed for the project will be financed. Phase II of the project will consist of 64 single-family homes, which will be moderately priced at $140,000. Both phases will add to the sustainability of the Magna community and add much needed housing for the low to moderate-income persons in Salt Lake County. Phase I is currently under construction and will be completed by November 2003. Further, this project is helping the City of Magna's economy by providing capital and the creation of jobs into the local economy.