Tuesday, December 19th 2017, 9:32 pm
A total of 399 families have moved into a Tulsa "Habitat for Humanity" home.
On Tuesday, the 400th family finalized the sale on theirs.
The dedication was a milestone for Habitat and for a large family that plans to start moving in immediately.
The final cleaning after construction wrapped up mid-day.
Habitat doesn't build houses that aren't needed, so as soon as they're ready, the families move in.
This one is unusual: a four-bedroom house on a corner lot for a couple with five children, a family of seven, now living in a two-bedroom condo.
Johnisha Stanton is already planning on how to expand to a four-bedroom house from where they are now.
"My son would sleep on the couch, the 1-year-old was in a crib in our room, so right away, it creates a whole lot more space," Stanton said.
The Stanton's house is on the edge of the Kendall Whittier neighborhood, and far from any redevelopment. It's surrounded with houses that reflect a struggling neighborhood.
Habitat plans to speed up home-building: 40 next year, 65 the next, and on to 150 a year, to turn around neighborhoods and families.
"The social fabric bringing in families with children going to the local schools and parents are working in and around the neighborhood. We really think this is going to be a transformational moment for the neighborhood," said Cameron Walker, Tulsa Habitat CEO.
The Stantons, with their five children, believe buying into their Habitat house will be transformational for them.
"Me and my wife, we didn't grow up in a two-parent home or a home that we owned, so this is something revolutionary for our family. This sets a new precedent for our family that we can own homes," said Johnthan Stanton.
The Stantons bought their home the usual Habitat way — with a zero-interest loan and their own work put into it, and of course the house was largely built with volunteers and a corporate sponsor.
December 19th, 2017
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