PORT ANGELES — One more family has a home of their own, thanks to Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County.
Taya Dancel, 31, and her children, Jaiden Dancel, 13, Aniah Dancel, 5, and newborn Nation Dancel, attended the dedication of their new house at 1622 Maloney Court with about 30 guests Sunday.
Dancel and her family can move into their new home at any time, said Cyndi Hueth, executive director for the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
The exact moving date for the family was not known Sunday, Hueth said.
The three-bedroom, two-bath house cost $131,000 to build, and only the actual monetary cost is passed on to the home buyer, Hueth said.
‘Sweat equity’
In addition to the monetary cost, Dancel was also required to put in 300 hours of “sweat equity” in the actual construction of the home, she said.
Families help build the homes and purchase them with a no-interest mortgage.
Mortgage payments go into a revolving fund used to build more houses.
Hueth said volunteers put in “hundreds and hundreds of hours” into completing the home, to help reduce the cost to the home buyer.
On Sunday, Dancel said she first learned of the Habitat for Humanity program from a friend at Peninsula College.
Dancel has since completed her studies and is working as a medical assistant, she said.
The family also received their first housewarming gifts: a set of quilts for each bed in the house made by the Sunbonnet Sue Quilters club, and a pantry full of food, and bathroom and kitchen items from Grocery Outlet in Sequim.
They were also given a gift card to Grocery Outlet to purchase additional items for the home.
Three homes are now complete in the small Habitat for Humanity neighborhood on Maloney Court.
A total of 14 homes are planned on the street.
Open space
The lot north of the Dancel home will be kept open to become a playground or community garden, Hueth said.
“These homes are on very small lots,” she noted.
Hueth said the home just south of the newly built house is being repainted and refreshed for new owners.
Habitat for Humanity has first-refusal agreements with purchasers, she said, and when the owner of the home, which was built in 2011, moved on, the organization got the house back.
“It ensures the homes stay available as low-cost housing,” she said.
Ground was broken for a fourth home March 14.
The house is located behind the Dancel house — and applications are being taken for qualified homebuyers.
It will be the fourth Habitat home completed on Maloney Court and the 28th in Clallam County.
Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing decent, affordable housing in partnership with low-income families throughout Clallam County.
Application packets can be obtained at the Habitat for Humanity office and store, 728 E. Front St., between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
All completed applications and backup information are due to Habitat’s Port Angeles office by close of business Tuesday, April 26.
For more information, visit www.habitatclallam.org.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
