Habitat For Humanity of Wicomico County Holds Home Blessing in Princess Anne

49 minutes ago

Braden Hamelin,

Princess Anne, Md. — Two Princess Anne families felt the emotions during a home blessing held by Habitat For Humanity of Wicomico County Wednesday, as participation in a program with the local nonprofit chapter led to them becoming homeowners.

The Maldonado and DeAza families are now neighbors, and sisters Kelia and Mariana Maldonado have the chance to raise their families in a duplex, bringing the tight knit families closer.

The families received gifts and spoke to those gathered during the celebration and blessing, expressing their gratitude. Mariana Maldonado shared what she was feeling to WMDT, the following excerpt which was translated from Spanish.

“Very happy — very happy that you all have come. And am eternally grateful. To anyone, I recommend the program and that people don’t lose heart because we know that the process was long, but it was worth it,” Mariana Maldonado said.

Molly Hilligoss, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Wicomico County, said the circumstances behind getting the families a home were unique for the organization.

“For these families, we did something that we’d never done before. We purchased a brand-new duplex, and thankfully, the sisters were excited about buying each piece of the duplex,” Hilligoss said. “Then when they finished their partnership requirements, which is sweat equity, saving for their closing costs and also the homebuyer education courses that they took, then they were eligible to purchase the homes.”

Hilligoss said the organization used “layer-down payment assistance,” to help complete the process. She said the organization’s model to help with payment has changed because of rising construction costs.

The new model has the organization take out the loan on a house initially, then asking partner families to find their own mortgage before Habitat for Humanity comes back with layer-down payment assistance to help with the rest. Hilligoss said the new model allows them to help five to six families a year now, up from one to two.

“I want to keep serving more families and serve them faster,” Hilligoss said.

Dr. Kris Drummond, town manager of Princess Anne, said the community was excited to have the new families moving in and hoped to continue the partnership with Habitat for Humanity.

“It’s all about collaboration, right? It’s all about how that we can improve our community, improve the quality of life for our residents,” Drummond said. “If this organization finds beauty in Somerset County, let’s collaborate. Let’s engage with each other to see what they need from us and see what we in turn can give to them.”