ELLSWORTH – The mission of St. Croix Valley Habitat for Humanity is simple: To help people find a safe, affordable place to call home. And contrary to some people’s beliefs, that doesn’t mean giving away homes to those less fortunate.  

“We’re very excited to be helping in Ellsworth with the affordable housing issue,” said SCVHH Executive Director Kristie Smith. “The village has just started now to look at its comprehensive plan and looking at how the community will grow with housing opportunities.” 

Smith admits that sometimes people might be afraid of what they don’t understand, which is why she wants to educate people on Habitat’s mission and the process for selecting homeowners.  

“We start by looking for land, which is a very expensive process,” Smith said. “We came to Ellsworth because we had the opportunity to purchase the land next to the middle school (on Panther Drive).” 

Smith explained that when the homes currently located on Panther Drive were built, the village provided utilities on the north side but not the south side of the street, which was the township. To build on those lots, Habitat will need to bring the utilities and tie them out to the curb.  

“Once we have a location for a build, we open up the application process for a month,” Smith said. “Anyone can apply.” 

Three main criteria are considered when vetting a family’s application: Need, ability to pay a mortgage and willingness to volunteer as a partner on the home by providing sweat equity. The Family Selection Committee, which is comprised of volunteers who are trained, goes through applications and selects those who meet these criteria. Then, two members will visit the family and conduct a standard interview. Each applicant is asked the same questions. The committee also pulls an applicant’s credit history, to make sure they have the ability to pay a mortgage.  

“People have the misconception that we’re just giving away homes and any squatting person can come and ‘demolish a neighborhood,’” Smith lamented. “But that’s just not true.” 

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Area Median Income for Pierce County is $123,700, which is a bit surprising when compared to other counties, Smith said.  

For perspective, the median income is $102,100 in Milwaukee County, $92,000 in Polk County, $89,000 in Pepin County and $94,400 in Dunn County. An applicant has to make 40 to 80% of that median income to qualify for a mortgage with Habitat. 

“That’s that middle workforce group that doesn’t make $124,000 a year, such as teachers, healthcare workers, police officers,” Smith said. “We need to know that you are able to pay a mortgage. We believe that 30% or less of your income should be used on housing, based on income and number of people in the home.” 

People selected to partner with Habitat are required to pay a mortgage that is 30% of the fair market value of the home. Habitat provides a forgivable second mortgage to meet the gap between the first mortgage and fair market value of the home. If the homeowner stays in the home the length of the mortgage, this second mortgage does not need to be paid back.  

“If you decide to sell the home, before the end of the 30 years, you will have to pay what’s remaining on that second mortgage,” Smith said. “We would put those funds then into another build/another family.” 

Once the Family Selection Committee interviews applicants and selects a family, the board reviews the application and information and has the final say. Homeowners must provide up to 250 hours of sweat equity by working on their home. Up to 30% of that time can come from family and friends.  

Ellsworth plans 

Construction has begun on the first Habitat home on Panther Drive. Two lots remain; one is a double lot, which Habitat hopes to divide in two for a total of three more lots. Smith said the goal is to look at a potential twinhome model.  

“A modular home is built in a factory and arrives in two pieces,” Smith said. “It’s not a mobile home. What is really amazing about a modular home is the affordability. It has less environmental impact, less garbage. We just erected one in River Falls.” 

Before a twinhome could be built on one of the lots, the village must approve the zoning.  

“We want to emphasize again that the folks who are buying these homes are buying them at fair market value. They are hardworking, and they do the hard work,” Smith said.  

In fact, a health care worker and her two children, who live in Ellsworth, will live in the home currently under construction. The lot being next to the schools is important to her and to Habitat.  

“Education is very important to our homeowners and the ability to access schools and the downtown areas,” Smith said.  

Habitat also recently acquired 17 acres in the Southgate Development in Ellsworth. However, that doesn’t mean they plan to build 17 acres worth of homes. At about four homes per acre, that would result in 68 homes, a project that is not in Habitat’s wheelhouse.  

“In January, one of our strategic goals had us looking for more land,” Smith said. “We have a couple of lots left in New Richmond, but wanted to find more land in Pierce County.” 

Developers Kent Kruger and Steve Thoner, who developed the first part of the Southgate neighborhood, have plans to retire before they could build the second half, Smith said.  

“They sold it to Habitat, who will look for contractor builder partners who will buy some of the land from us and they also would finish the road,” Smith said. “Habitat would never build an entire community in one spot. We serve both counties and that’s a huge undertaking. We’re not that big of an affiliate to build 68 homes. We do want to build throughout all of our communities, and that project alone would take 20 years.” 

The goal is to partner with another developer to bring mixed income options to create a diverse neighborhood. Habitat would plan to have one or two houses on a block that fit in with the rest of the community.  

“Habitat knows that diverse neighborhoods create richer, more engaged communities,” Smith said. “I don’t want to see a neighborhood that says that, those are all of those people on the edge of town. I’ve been told that before. It’s my job to educate and share who ‘these people’ are. They’re your neighbors. They live in this town, they work in this town, and it’s hard for them to stay in a town when they can’t afford it. You might not make $124,000 a year, but you still need to live here.  

“We will not be filling up 17 acres with homes. We can’t afford that and it doesn’t make sense for us.” 

Smith said a couple of Habitat builds in the past, located in Ellsworth’s East End, weren’t well-received.  

“The homeowners never really cared for the property or did any landscaping. That’s not how we operate any more. It was a really basic build,” she said. “Because we haven’t been in Ellsworth long, we need volunteer help. Volunteering helps you get to know the family and understand the model. 

“When you’re working side by side with your neighbors, you develop a relationship. Get your hands dirty, work together and get to know your neighbors.” 

Because the volunteer base in Ellsworth is small, it’s been slowing down the process of the Panther Drive build. Smith said it typically takes about 10 volunteers a day to complete a home on time. Their hope is to be finished by August, but it’s looking more like September.  

Those interested in learning more about Habitat or volunteering can email Smith at executivedirector@scvhabitat.org or visit https://scvhabitat.org/volunteer 

“You don’t have to have experience building,” Smith said. “Both the construction supervisor and crew lead are licensed and trained and work really well with our volunteers.”