Et cetera : A place to call home: Oak 7 helps Habitat for Humanity

A Place to Call Home

By Rebecca Bigler, Oak 7

When Oak 7, a National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) team, came to Columbus, Ohio seven weeks ago to assist Habitat for Humanity of Greater Columbus, they received a shock driving to their housing for the first time. On nearly every street were boarded up houses, vacant from what looked like a few weeks to a few years. This was a surprise to the team as they did not anticipate such a glaring house crises in Ohio’s largest city.

Columbus has opened the team’s eyes to the need for and joy of owning a home. They have slept in cardboard boxes during Thrivent Financial’s bi-annual Shack City, to experience what it feels like to be homeless. They have built on over ten houses, working alongside excited first-time homeowners, selfless volunteers, and motivated staff. They have seen the joy on three new homeowners’ faces as they are handed the keys to their first house.

Soon, the team will be back in Vinton, Iowa to prepare for their next project, battling the mountain pine beetle that plagues Custer State Park in