Nine new homes are currently under construction in Paso Robles, and Habitat for Humanity is in need of volunteers to support the project.
The homes are located on the 2900 block of Vine Street and are for low to moderate-income level families that have gone through extensive background and credit checks.
Homeowners become Habitat for Humanity partners, and in return for 250 hours of labor or "sweat equity," they do not have to put down a down payment. Volunteers can help knock some of these hours off the homeowners' work schedule.
The goal is to complete these nine new homes before the holiday season.
“A lot of the products, a lot of the time and energy that has gone into these homes has been donated by or coordinated with local professionals, all of whom have become what I would call 'Habitat partners,'" said Emily Baranek, Habitat SLO Project Manager.
Habitat for Humanity SLO has built 17 homes to date — one in Cambria, four in Atascadero, three in Paso Robles, four in Grover Beach, and five in San Luis Obispo. This nine-home project that started construction in June of 2023 is their latest.
“We've had people that really don't have any construction background and there's other things to do," said volunteer Ken Fiser. "They're putting the cabinets together, painting, caulking. There's lots to do, and it doesn't really matter what your skill set is. I think they'll find a job for you."
Mission College Preparatory High School football players have even used the project as a way to gain volunteer hours for graduation credit.
“Last weekend, there was some high school football players here," Fiser said. "It was nice to have a lot of muscle, you know”
High schoolers who want to help must be over the age of 16 to volunteer.
If manual labor isn’t your thing, there are other opportunities available including writing thank you letters and admin work. You can visit Habitat for Humanity's website for more information and volunteer opportunities.
