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| By Andrew M. Seder | 12/17/2003 |
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Posted on 12/17/2003 8:30:00 AM PST by Born Conservative
| A family's second chance |
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| Charles and Barbara Smith and 14 of their 18 children are moving back into their North Scranton home today, just in time for the holidays. The Smith family was forced to leave the house after the city condemned it July 29 -- the first known Habitat for Humanity home in the country to be condemned. On Tuesday, a team of city inspectors went through the house at 2517 N. Main Ave. and removed the "unfit for human habitation" label. Mr. Smith says he regrets what happened because of "my neglect and lax supervision" and promises Habitat for Humanity things will be different this time. Mr. Smith said he looks forward to spending Christmas back in his house. He's sorry Habitat was dragged through the mud. "This was a hard lesson learned, but I've corrected the problem and it won't happen again," Mr. Smith said. After the condemnation, Habitat for Humanity of Lackawanna County -- following the example of other area Habitat organization -- hired a family support counselor to assist the Smiths and other families. Robin Decker immediately went to work interviewing the Smiths and educating them on budgeting, simple home maintenance and parenting skills. "When I first met them, the kids would throw candy wrappers on the floor. That does not happen anymore. They know about discipline and responsibilities now," Ms. Decker said. "Things are different." "They know that if this happens again we'll be out on the street," Mr. Smith said. The Smiths and their children moved into the house three years ago. They have been staying with the couple's third oldest son since being evicted. The home was condemned, according to city officials, because it had no heat, hot water or electricity. Inspectors also noted holes in walls, floors and ceilings; electrical circuitry problems, the lack of smoke detectors and other deficiencies. Laura Gillette, the city's deputy director for permits, inspections and licensing, said it was mostly "unsanitary conditions that needed to be cleaned." The Smith family, friends and volunteers from Habitat for Humanity worked to bring the house back into compliance. "Habitat didn't spend one dime," said Robert "Ozzie" Quinn, executive director for the Lackawanna chapter of Habitat. He said donations and volunteers made the home livable again. Mr. Smith said having 14 kids ages 3 to 14 under one roof would be a problem for anyone. But he acknowledged his lack of discipline made matters worse. "If you have 14 kids at home and no place for them to play, I don't care who you are, you're going to have damage in your house," Mr. Smith said. Mr. Smith said he will remain a stay-at-home father while his wife works as a housekeeping supervisor for a hotel in Dickson City. It's her paycheck that pays the bills, including the $115-a-month mortgage payment to Habitat. Mr. Quinn said he's weary of people saying Habitat shouldn't have helped such a large family and shouldn't have stuck by them through the past four months. "This is a crisis situation. We can't just turn our backs on them," Mr. Quinn said. Mr. Smith said that by spending more than $4,000 of his own money to fix the house, his children's best holiday present will probably be getting to sleep in their own beds again. "It's going to be a crappy Christmas for the kids, but we'll make the best of it," Mr. Smith said. But Mr. Smith is thankful others have been so charitable. Between volunteers, including those from local colleges, and donations from others, the Smiths said the repair work and materials and new appliances could have cost more than $10,000. "I came here one day in October to do some work and there was a brand-new refrigerator and oven on the porch. I have no idea where they came from, but I thank whoever it was," Mr. Smith said. |
I agree with you completely. The problem is what to do about our present system which has institutionalized plunder -- taking some to give to others without regard for equity or justice or responsibility -- at almost every level.
One way to try and limit the damage is to pass laws that enable more government intrusion and more government power (e.g. sterilizing families with more than x number of children in public school). The alternative is to fight to pass laws that result in less government intrusion (e.g. ending state control and funding of education).
It seems to me the only conservative choice is the second one.
Well, they had a very large farm :-))
I just think of my Mom having trouble remembering which sister I was (there are five girls in our family), stuttering her way through the names before she hit on the right one. I just can't imagine what the mother of 26 would do.
Don't judge all that have received homes from Habitat for Humanity by this family. The ones that have been built in our old neighborhood are immacuate, and the pride in ownership shows.
Funny my mom did that to us too. There were 2 boys and 2 girls. When it got to that point she'd be yelling first and middle names. It was a good time to hide.
LOL! We knew it was time for a quick getaway when she used our full names, cuz someone was in trouble.
And it's surprisingly easy to get freepers to say they want it that way. All ya have to do is tell them about people with 8 kids who get a hefty child tax credit.
Literally.
Oh, really? Gee, this wouldn't be a bid for even more charity, now would it?
I see from the link in #8 that this house has 10 bedrooms and a pool room with a pool table. Not bad for a family on the dole. I can't say that I blame Mr. Smith for trying to eek a little more charity out of a system that seems to have served him quite well.
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