The Verde Valley Habitat for Humanity celebrated the dedication of the last home in their Peach Lane triplex project on Dec. 11.
These three homes, located at 460 Peach Lane in Uptown, have been an ongoing project since 2019 when the land was first purchased and the project was approved.
“The struggle for affordable workforce housing in the Verde Valley and Arizona is huge,” said Lisa Delight, director of donor relationships for Verde Valley Habitat for Humanity. “And while most people are out there still talking about it and trying to come to solutions, Habitat for Humanity is doing something about it, one or three houses at a time. We are the authority on affordable workforce housing.”
Steve and Marta Adelsman were presented with the keys as the new owners of the home. The Adelsmans, originally Chicago natives, moved to the Verde Valley over 20 years ago. Since their move, they have been volunteering and working in the community with the hopes to move into Sedona proper.
“Series of miracles is the only way I know how to describe the process that has gotten us to this day,” Steve Adelsman said. “We are looking forward to all that lies ahead of us and we are filled with gratitude.”
Verde Valley Habitat for Humanity partners with the U.S. Department of Agriculture loan grant services to help lower monthly mortgages and interest rates in order to provide affordable housing for those in need in the community. This means that the mortgage rate is 30% of the homeowners’ income at the time of qualification.
The Adelsmans were told back in August that they qualified for the program. This came after many setbacks with COVID-19 concerns changing the non-profit’s homeowner approval process and building.
For the entire triplex, construction was delayed for a few months in spring 2020. The owners of the two conjoining houses moved in July 2020. But their dedication services were online and streamed, due to COVID-19 concerns.
Cassandra Chapman owns one of the houses in the triplex. She along with her 16-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son moved in last summer. Previously the family was living in Cottonwood and she was commuting to Sedona every day for work.
“It’s beautiful. It’s peaceful. And to know that we are the homeowners is amazing,” said Chapman. “To come home from work on a hard and stressful day and to walk through the door, we are just appreciative of this gift.”
Habitat for Humanity is planning for upcoming projects in Rimrock. Verde Valley Habitat for Humanity’s Executive Director Tania Simms said that the organization hopes to have more opportunities to build in Sedona in the future.
