Habitat for Humanity project transforming north Wichita neighborhood

After hard work, sweat and tears, Jennifer Sisk and her family received the keys to their new home Wednesday morning.

“This is the day we’ve been looking forward to for so long, and it’s finally here,” Sisk said. “(There’s) no better feeling than to walk through those doors and know that this is mine, and I get to come home to it every day.”

Construction on the three-bedroom home began May 4, and it was built by Wichita Habitat for Humanity, Koch companies and nearly 500 Koch employees.

The home, on the 1100 block of North Poplar, is part of a larger Wichita Habitat project, called Rock the Block, which focuses on in-fill development in the A. Price Woodard Neighborhood.

It was the eighth home in Wichita that Habitat and Koch have partnered to build, but it was the first project to feature a combination of innovative, energy-efficient products from Koch Industries, said Meredith Olson, Koch vice president of public affairs. From the flooring to the fertilizer for the grass, seven Koch companies provided products and services for the home.

Koch donated between $90,000 and $95,000 to cover the cost of the home, said Jerry Warren, construction director for Wichita Habitat. The project was more expensive than typical Habitat homes because of the materials, he said.

Rock the Block

The Rock the Block project, which began in 2014, includes the area bounded by 13th Street on the north, Hillside on the east, Ninth Street on the south and Grove on the west, said Kathy Lefler, Wichita Habitat communications and marketing associate.

There are vacant lots in the neighborhood as well as empty houses with broken windows. The goal of Rock the Block is to renovate the area, building new homes and restoring others.

“We came in with the idea of revitalizing and being part of the community … with the idea of creating sustainable change in the neighborhood,” Lefler said.

Overall, 27 homes have been completed in the neighborhood, Lefler said. Four more homes will be built this year, bringing the total for 2016 to 10, she said.

To Janet Wilson, who grew up in the neighborhood and is now president of the A. Price Woodard Neighborhood Association, the Rock the Block project means “a new beginning” and increased safety.

“A safe neighborhood creates a safe community, and a safe community creates a safe city,” Wilson said. “We want people to love where they live and have a safe community.”

Sweat, tears, hard work

To qualify for Wichita Habitat for Humanity’s program, families must have a need for housing, be willing to partner with Habitat and have the ability to pay a mortgage, Lefler said.

A single person is required to put in 250 hours of sweat equity on their home and other Habitat homes, and couples must put in 400 hours. They also take classes in financial education and home ownership.

The families then sign a mortgage and pay for the closing costs on their home.

All Wichita Habitat mortgages are interest-free because the company raises the funds before beginning construction, said executive director Ann Fox. The money the family pays back on the mortgage then helps fund other projects, she said.

Sisk will live in the home with her two daughters and a niece, Alizaya Glover. Glover, 17, said the house means a lot to her, and she is very happy for her aunt.

“Seeing my aunt cry and be happy — I’m a tough person, but it just makes me want to cry, too,” Glover said. “It’s something she’s always wanted, the one dream she’s always been pushing to get, to have a stable home.”

This story was originally published July 13, 2016 at 6:15 PM with the headline "Habitat for Humanity project transforming north Wichita neighborhood."