Okaloosa Habitat for Humanity celebrates Crestview home dedication

CRESTVIEW — Habitat for Humanity in Okaloosa County celebrated the completion of its 59th home with a dedication ceremony Dec. 18 in Crestview.

The four-bedroom, two-bath house belongs to Joshua and Jessica Ruckowski and their three children, Lola, Ledger, their oldest son, and Lawson, their youngest.

While the house was mostly bare and the lawn wasn't completely installed Monday, the Ruckowskis should be living in it by Christmas, according to Habitat Okaloosa's Community Outreach director, Melissa Litscher.

Allen Turner of Allen Turner Chevrolet and company employees presented a sponsorship check for the home during the ceremony. The event included remarks from Turner, city officials, construction managers Bob Hauge and Bill Prescott, and Joshua Ruckowski. Presentation of household gifts and a Bible, a benediction and invitation to tour the home afterward were part of the ceremony as well.

Over 500 volunteers constructed the home. The new homeowners also had a hand in the building of it and their next-door neighbor's Habitat home.

"It was amazing, we learned a lot," Joshua Ruckowski said. "We pretty much did some of everything — framing … she worked on electrical. I worked on roofing, floor, paint, everything."

He said the process of applying doesn't hurt.

"I came in here blind. Everything was a process. What this did for our family, we want to do for others. Shopping at the ReStore helped our family a lot."

He said people who want to be a part of what Habitat does for the community can go to the Habitat website to volunteer.

Jessica Ruckowski said the dedication ceremony felt "unreal, surreal maybe even," because she never thought it would happen. To others considering going through Habitat to purchase a home, she said, "Do it! There will be no better feeling in the world when it's done."

In the program for the dedication ceremony, Joshua Ruckowski stated, "What this means for our family is that we will have showers that won't leak, paint that's not peeling, and windows that actually lock and the kids will each have a place to make their own. 

"We would like to thank each and everyone of the volunteers that took the time out of their days to help us make this happen. We have met many great people."

The Ruckowski family finished the ceremony with a view of the future.

They invited the first Okaloosa Habitat for Humanity participant, Pheba Bush of Fort Walton Beach, to set fire to her mortgage in their driveway. Once the ashes cooled, they were put into a house-shaped box and presented to Bush as a keepsake.

When asked how she felt about the mortgage's completion, Bush said she was a little in shock, but it felt good.

"It really hasn't dawned on me yet, but next month when I get ready to have that payment, I won't have it to make," she said.

Melissa Litscher, Community Outreach director for Habitat for Humanity in Okaloosa County, says there are three main qualifications for Habitat partnership:

•The applicant has lived or worked in Okaloosa County for at least a year.

•The person has a need for housing and the willingness to partner with them.

•The person must have the ability to pay the modest mortgage.

"The need could be they don’t have a place of their own, they might live in a place that is not safe or well-maintained, or they might not be able to afford an increase in rent," Litscher said.

"The willingness to partner is where the sweat equity part comes in. The applicant agrees to 300 hours of work per adult, when they will help build homes already under construction for other families, work at our ReStores, take classes in financial literacy, home maintenance and CPR, and finally work on their own home when the time comes.

"The modest mortgage payment ranges from $350 to $500 in Okaloosa County and that includes their zero-interest principle mortgage, their insurance and their taxes. Their credit will be checked and because our focus is low to moderate income, there are minimum and maximum income levels depending upon the size of the household.

"Please visit our website at www.habitatfwb.org/homeownership for more details."

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa Habitat for Humanity celebrates Crestview home dedication