On a hot summer in late June, on the east side of Long Beach, the temperature hovers in the high 80s. The occasional breeze is not enough to cool a person's body.
Children, out of school for the summer, line the street as they ride their bikes beneath the hot sun.
Some residents of 12th Street allow their curiosity to get the best of them and they stop as if tempted to make their way onto the dusty lot. But, like so many other people they are just looking.
On the lot there is a construction crew working on a two-story house that is near completion. The upstairs contains three bedrooms and one bathroom. Downstairs there is a kitchen, a living room, a washroom and a bathroom.
When this project is completed there will be two other houses on this lot identical to the one that is now being built, said Dennis Francis, on-site supervisor.
This is no ordinary construction site and no ordinary construction crew. The construction site is part of a three house project being developed by Habitat For Humanity - Long Beach. The crew, with one exception, is made up entirely of volunteers.
HFH-LB, an affiliate of Habitat For Humanity International, is a non-profit Christian organization dedicated to providing affordable, decent housing to low-income families, said Erin Garrity, executive director.
"We are very concerned with living conditions, bad plumbing, overcrowded situations, or any other dangerous conditions," Garrity said.
Since it's inception in 1990, HFH-LB has completed 13 homes for 64 people in the Long Beach area. HFH-LB is funded through donations. The use of volunteer labor allows the organization to keep costs at a minimum.
HFH-LB builds houses through a process known as a "blitz build." A blitz build is simply the building of a house at an accelerated pace. The building process involves many volunteers coming together and building for a specified number of days. The process usually takes about a week, said Garrity.
- Theodore Vallente
Theodore Vallente, who works for a local school district, is one of the volunteers who braved the summer heat to lend a helping hand. He volunteers 16 - 24 hours a week.
"I had a lot of time on my hands, I'm on vacation until August. I work with kids at the school and I knew some of them would be volunteering here, so I decided to join them," Vallente said.
People make the difference, they bring the community together, was the sentiment of retired Pac-Bell worker Gary Spies. Spies is also volunteering at the site. Originally he signed on to volunteer for only one day, but once there he decided to stay until the project is complete.
"A friend of mine told me he would be volunteering here and I thought it would be a good idea. I've had a good career and now it is time to give back to the community. I have always wanted to do something like this but I couldn't until now," Spies said.
HFH-LB has received help from all members of the community. Even the Long Beach StingRays got involved and donated some time.
"Two players, Stacey Lovelace and Cas Bauer, the entire front office and staff contributed hours to the project," said Sandra Bernardo, StingRays media assistant.
HFH-LB has worked with more than 3,000 volunteers since 1990. About 400 people per year volunteer, Francis said.
HFH-LB houses are sold to partner families at cost. The recipients of the new homes are financed through no-interest loans. Mortgage payments received from partner families go into a revolving fund used to build more homes, Garrity said.
In order for families to become partner families they must meet requirements as established by HFH-LB. The four factors that determine eligibility are a family's need for adequate housing, the ability to pay back a no-interest loan, a willingness to donate 1000 volunteer hours, better known as "sweat equity hours," and they must be residents of Long Beach or surrounding areas, Garrity said.
A total of 500 hours must be completed before a family is allowed to move into a house. The remaining 500 hours have to be completed shortly after the family moves in.
If and when a partner family is ready to sell the house they must sell back to HFH-LB at no profit. HFH-LB will in turn put a new partner family into the dwelling. This is stipulated in a contract between the family and HFH-LB.
HFH-LB is providing a social service to the city of Long Beach. Residents are responding to the call by contributing to the growth and well-being of their own community.