Building a community

Lolita Harper

More than houses are being built on the Habitat for Humanity site on

Del Mar Avenue in Costa Mesa. A foundation for lifelong friendship has

been laid along with the concrete.

While volunteers come together through Habitat for Humanity to build

homes for low-income families, they have become a family themselves. They

laugh together, make up nicknames for each other and some hang out

socially, off the constructionsite.

“People kind of start looking out for each other,” volunteer Lynn

Tomalas said. “It really broadens the act of volunteering when you are

making really wonderful friendship you will keep long after the houses

are finished.”

Habitat for Humanity is building three homes on the 200 block of Del

Mar Avenue for low-income, working families who were chosen for having

good credit but substandard housing conditions, officials said.

Three houses will be built on the parcel. One will be a three-bedroom

home, one a four-bedroom and the last a five-bedroom. Each house has its

own garage and will share a common grass area in the back. The houses are

not luxurious and, admittedly, are not perfectly constructed, but provide

responsible families with the opportunity to get out of bad living

situations and to own a home, Tomalas said. One house is a “women’s

build,” meaning women constructed the essential parts of the house.

The organization uses nongovernmental donations of materials,

professional services and volunteer labor to build simple homes that are

sold to low-income families for a 1% down payment and no-interest

mortgage. Habitat for Humanity uses the mortgage payments to fund other

houses, and the cycle goes on and on. In addition to paying mortgage

payments, each family must contribute 500 hours of “sweat equity” by

working on their own house.

“We’ve done everything from hammering to drywall to roofing,” said

Sean Hwin, the father of one of the families.

The Orange County chapter, which opened in 1988, has built 84 homes

throughout the county. Two of those homes are in Costa Mesa, one on

Wallace Avenue and another -- just a few doors down from the construction

site -- on Del Mar Avenue.

Site Supervisor Kevin Ingersolm said they use humor -- and a twinge of

sarcasm -- to make the building fun.

“I’ve never laughed harder in my life,” he added.

The lighthearted attitude, combined with the heartwarming feeling of

doing something positive for the community, creates a synergy that keeps

people coming back time and time again.

“People get the fever,” Ingersolm said.

It is truly a labor of love, as construction of the homes depends on

the will of volunteers. On weekends, anywhere from 60 to 70 people are at

the site. Most are novices.

Tomalas, a Newport Beach resident, said she knew nothing about

building when she first came out to help, but she learned as she went

along.

“People get intimidated -- especially some women -- because they think

they have to have some construction background. You don’t. You just have

to have a willing attitude,” she said.

After months on the site, Tomalas has gained the title of crew leader.

Now when other green volunteers join the team, she guides them through

the process, just as she was guided.

Most longtime volunteers such as Tomalas take a liking to a particular

aspect of the construction. Tomalas has become an expert on siding.

“I am the siding master,” she joked.

Ingersolm agreed.

“I’d put her up against any siding guy in the industry. Her work is

perfect,” he said.

The positive comments and teasing remarks can be heard all around the

site. Volunteers are constantly cheering each other on or teasing each

other about embarrassing moments, or small mistakes.

Cindy Reichle, a volunteer from Mission Viejo, enjoys painting because

she’s more familiar with it, she said.

“And because it’s closer to the ground,” Ingersolm teased.

“I don’t do third story,” Reichle responded. “Second story I’m OK with

now, but I won’t go higher.”

Nicknames such as “Sparky” and “Geezer Gang” have sprung up lovingly

and the volunteers have embraced them. A group of dedicated, retired

volunteers, who are referred to as the Geezer Gang made up T-shirts with

their name proudly emblazoned on them.

Don Powell, a member of the Geezer Gang, has been working on Habitat

for Humanity homes for more than a year and wears his blue “Geezer” shirt

consistently. Powell started working on a project in Huntington Beach

because the group was building just down the street from his home. The

62-year-old now drives to Costa Mesa four days a week to build. Powell is

one of a handful of retired engineers in the group.

“They sent guys to the moon. Now they like to do plumbing,” Ingersolm

said about the group of retired engineers.

Ingersolm seems to have a witty response to every comment. Behind the

smiles and sarcasm, his deep caring for the project and his friends

shines through.

Although the site manager is one of the few people on the project who

is employed by Habitat for Humanity, Ingersolm started as a volunteer two

years ago. He has worked on three housing projects but has become very

attached to the volunteers at the Costa Mesa site.

One of the retired men reminds him of his father, who passed away last

year, Ingersolm said. He added that the man especially reminded him of

his father in the way he walks and his resiliency. He recalled one time

when the older man fell, and Ingersolm was worried, but he got right back

up and dusted himself off. Ingersolm called him a “tough old bird.”

“He’s like my pseudo dad,” Ingersolm said with tears swelling in his

eyes. “It fills a void in your life if you have lost someone near to you

-- at least, it has for me.”

City Manager Allan Roeder, who lives in the neighborhood, said anyone

who has visited the site can tell the workers are a special -- and

distinct -- group of people.

“Talk about a really dedicated group of people. They are out there

every single weekend and some of them every day,” Roeder said.

Those who think volunteers are simply wealthy people who do charity in

their spare time to ease their conscience are dead wrong, Roeder said.

The eclectic group ranges from single parents with relatively little to

those who are very affluent, he said.

“It’s about as broad a section of people as you would find anywhere,”

Roeder said.

Those from Habitat for Humanity have a mutual respect for the city and

its officials. It was the city’s Redevelopment Agency that granted the

parcel to Habitat for Humanity for the purpose of providing affordable

housing. In January 2000, Roeder suggested the city subsidize homes for

the group to help the region provide some affordable housing.

The Eastside neighborhood provides the perfect backdrop for family

housing, Tomalas said. The structural requirements in Costa Mesa are

phenomenal, Ingersolm said, which results in higher-quality homes for the

families.

Ingersolm said he hopes to have the homes completed by the holidays

but is at the mercy of Mother Nature. Even one day of rain will stall the

process for weeks because the concrete for the driveway needs to be laid,

he said.

With all the camaraderie between the volunteers, the focus of helping

the families is never lost. While joking with each other, they often

discuss the three families and stay updated on their well-being.

The Hwin family now lives in Fountain Valley and rents two small rooms

in a four-bedroom house that they share with six other people. Dan

Samuelson is a single father of four who lives in Long Beach. And the

Corias have eight children and live in South County, where the father

works as a janitor.

Because of 500 hours of required labor, volunteers have bonded with

the families, as well as their fellow recruits.

“When we give over those keys to the families, we are all going to

cry,” Tomalas said. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.