MIDLAND, Texas —
Midland Habitat for Humanity is a local non-profit that builds affordable housing for lower income families and does work in Odessa as well.
However, with the cost of living going up in the country over the last couple of years, not everyone can afford a good home.
So, does that mean that the organization has been having to build more and more homes as of late?
Midland Habitat for Humanity is no stranger to receiving a good number of applications for their program, but in the last couple years, things have picked up.
“We have had more applications in the last year than we've probably ever have. We don't really expect that to go down unless there's a huge shift in the housing market, which we don't foresee,” said Joey Hopkins, executive director of Midland Habitat for Humanity.
Hopkins feels that because of this their work is more important than ever, especially since people in a lot of these families work in essential jobs around the Permian Basin.
“So, we're busier than we've ever been. We are building more houses right now than we've ever built exponentially. I think the reason is it's still expensive to live in West, Texas; interest rates are still really high, so it makes home ownership really, really challenging," Hopkins said. "There's a huge group of people that live out here that we say keep the lights on in the Permian Basin but can't afford the average price house.”
Despite the extra workload, Hopkins feels that they’re more than prepared to meet the demands of the community head on.
“So, we're really convicted that we need to do that to the full extent that we can help more people. The challenge with that is, yeah, it's a lot more work to build a lot more houses. But again, we've got a great staff, we've got a great community with companies who volunteer with us, who fund what we do," Hopkins said. "It is really challenging, but we feel convicted that we should do that.”
If anyone is interested in learning more about Midland Habitat for Humanity, visit their website or call their office to do so.