Habitat For Humanity Begins Construction On Its 1,000th Home In Central Oklahoma

Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity began work on its 1,000th house on Saturday.  

City, county and national leaders put their construction skills to work alongside habitat volunteers and the future homeowner.

“I’m out here with my hammer and nails, getting them boards hammered in,” Brittani Githiri said. “I’m completely speechless. I’m enjoying soaking it all in.”

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., Oklahoma City City Councilmen Mark Stonecipher and David Greenwell, Oklahoma County Commissioner Brian Maughan and members of the Oklahoma National Guard all joined in to help.

“This is neighbors giving to neighbors, saying ‘I’m going to help you get that place that I have,’” Lankford said.

“I remember as a little girl growing up, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity,” Githiri said. “And I said, 'gosh, I wonder if I could get involved in something like that,' and I qualified in August and here I am building my house in December.”

By the time the home is complete, the single mother of two will have invested more than 300 hours of what Habitat calls “sweat equity,” working on the home’s construction.

“Me and my boys are really looking forward to getting moved in and the progress that we are going to make and the fun friends we are going to meet as we are doing it,” Githiri said.

This build is the sixth home Maxwell Supply company in Oklahoma City has fully funded. 

Githiri’s home sits in Habitat's third community, a neighborhood that will eventually include 146 built by the Christian housing ministry.

“So many of our moms have been able to go back to school and get their degrees after getting into their houses,” Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity CEO Ann Felton Gilliland said. “Children have gone on to college or into the military or maybe just a job. It’s been a success story for our families.”

“They want to give their time to help folks that are really struggling and say, ‘how can we help you get a home?’” Lankford said. “A home is a foundation, building wealth in your home, having stability for your children and your family.”

Construction on the home is expected to be complete March 2020.