Wimberley's Habitat dedicates 20th home

“Our first night in our new home was great,” Abby Lemoine, the newest Wimberley Valley Habitat for Humanity partner, said. “The energy was awesome. We had friends over helping us move. It is really comfortable in here. It's just nice. We had been staying with my mom… and now the kids each have their own rooms. We can just be ourselves.”

It sounds like a simple night that any family in America could have. Unpacking after a long day moving with friends and family. But this wasn’t just any other move. For the Lemoine family, with Abby and her three grade-school-aged children, this is the day they have been waiting for – for a long time.

“I’m relieved,” Lemoine said. “I finally can breathe. It’s like when you are walking on eggshells and then afterward you can just breathe. This means a lot. We have been bouncing around from house to house for the last four years trying to make ends meet. All I ever wanted was a place to call mine. A place where my kids can feel comfortable and plant roots. We can build a garden, which my son wants to do. It’s our homestead. Things aren’t up in the air and stressful. I can afford it. It means everything.”

The Lemoine Family was welcomed into the Habitat Family on Saturday as their new home was dedicated. This is the 20th home the Wimberley Valley Habitat For Humanity has built.

“And we have 20 partners now that live here in Wimberley that are in comfortable, safe, secure housing that they did not have in the past,” Habitat For Humanity Events Committee Chairwoman Sandi Running said. “They are all still involved with Habitat for Humanity. It’s just a wonderful program.”

Pastor Wes Cain, of Wimberley United Methodist Church, blessed the home and presented the family with new bibles. The Wimberley Valley Quilt Guild donated a handmade quilt to the family, as they do at every Habitat dedication. These are just a small sliver of the local donations and volunteers that go into the creation of every Habitat home.

Abby Lemoine and her three children celebrate their new home.

It starts with the Big Build, which was held on Jan. 27 this year, involving hundreds of volunteers erecting the frame of the soon-to-be home. Throughout the year, a team of Habitat volunteers continues the weekly construction as various groups show up to assist with certain parts of the project. The new owner is required to put in at least 300 hours of sweat equity into the construction. 

And these homes are not donations. The recipients still have to pay a mortgage, but it is a payment made easier by the extensive amount of volunteer hours and donations dedicated to the home. In the end, it can truly change the lives of people and families.

“This is a great organization,” Lemoine said. “I didn’t know much about it at first, and I would love for other people to realize how awesome Habitat for Humanity is. If you can give your time, money, resources or anything, do it. Right now they can only build one a year. This community needs affordable housing. There are people who need a step up, but they are good people who need homes for their family. It helps people build a home – build their lives.”

To find out more information, visit the Wimberley Habitat's website.