Community Corner

VIDEO: Former NY Met Ron Darling and 8 Couples Get Physical in Bed-Stuy for Valentine's Day

Sixteen loving volunteers joined Ron Darling to help put finishing touches on affordable Habitat-NYC homes on Halsey Street

I guess you can call it a labor of love.

This past Saturday, former New York Mets star Ron Darling, along with eight couples and a dozen of other volunteers rolled up their sleeves and grabbed a paint brush to donate a little hard labor towards building six affordable homes for low-income residents in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

The project, Habitat for Humanity’s annual Valentine’s Day Build, is a way for volunteer couples to give back during America’s biggest celebration of love by fundraising towards construction costs and then investing hard labor to help families that are in need of a home.

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“There’s nothing like having a warm, safe dry place to do your homework,” said Darling, while carefully painting one of the wall's borders. “I think this is such a great opportunity, because the families do all of the work, they put in the sweat equity. And at the end of this whole thing is a chance for them to own their own home. And I don’t think there’s anything better than that.”

So far, Darling and his family have raised more than $4,000 toward the build of a three-story walk-up on Halsey Street, a townhouse built in 1910 in Romanesque Revival Style in the Saratoga Square Historic District.

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Sales prices of Habitat-renovated properties start at $180,000. All future homeowners are first-time homebuyers, pay no more than 33 percent of their gross household income on monthly expenses and earn 50 – 80 percent of the city’s area median income ($36,850 to $58,950 for a family of three).

Each family member over the age of 16 that will live in the home also must donate 200-400 hours of “sweat equity” toward helping build their own homes. In return, they will pay 1 percent down and receive 2 percent 30- or 40-year fixed rate mortgages.

Each home also complies with LEED green building standards, helping homeowners save on their utility bills, including Energy Star appliances and lighting fixtures, energy-efficient windows, water-saving toilets, faucets and shower heads and high-efficiency boilers.

Genevieve Santos and her friend together decided to volunteer to help build affordable homes in the area, after Santos tried to move into the area but could not find an apartment.

“I just kept hitting a wall. And right when the last apartment fell through, I started thinking, ‘You know what? Maybe I should just turn the tables and give an apartment instead of getting one.' So I contacted Habitat for Humanity and started fundraising on Facebook and through all of my friends, calling my family, everyone I know.”

In two short weeks Santos raised a $1,000 towards the Valentine’s Day home build.

“It’s not as difficult as the beginning, with the sheet-rocking. Today is actually fun, because it’s painting, and we’re having fun with it,” said future homeowner Beverly Craigwell, who is about 20 hours away from completing her 200 hours of sweat equity. Her daughter, Natasha, 20, who will be sharing the home with her, has about 50 hours of sweat equity remaining.

“We’re almost through with our hours,” said Beverly smiling. “Yes, we’re almost through… and it’s something to look forward to.”


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