MIDDLETOWN -- Dressed in faded blue jeans, a white T-shirt and heavy work boots, U.S. Rep. John Boehner jostled a 2-by-4 and nailed it solidly into place.
The man who usually works in the House of Representatives in Washington spent Saturday in Middletown working in a different house: building a home for Habitat for Humanity.
Boehner and about 60 of his supporters cut lumber, built walls and fashioned windows. By the time they were done, four walls were standing and work on roof trusses was ready to begin.
"We're going to have several hundred of our people participating in this," said Mr. Boehner, adding that the home should be finished by fall.
Called "The House That Congress Built," the basic, 1,100-square-foot home on 9th Avenue is one of five that the Middletown affiliate of Habitat for Humanity hopes to build this year.
The house was sponsored by Mr. Boehner's staff, supporters and local companies. They donated money and materials, and are giving their time to build it, said Wilma Wood, executive director of the Middletown affiliate of Habitat.
"Whatever we needed, we called them and they've tried to help," said Ms. Wood. "He has been with us before."
Mr. Boehner, who has been active in the Habitat program for years, said he would like to see other members of Congress get involved in the program. So far, he said, more than 300 have committed to the project.
"One of our jobs as members of Congress is to be leaders in our communities," he said. "This is more of an effort to encourage other (citizens) to take a more active role in their communities." The Habitat program is designed for the working poor. The "partnering family" is required to work with volunteers building the home, said Mike McIntosh, a carpenter who is on Habitat's board of directors. The family takes out a no-interest loan of about $40,000. Habitat holds the mortgage and the payments are about $250 a month, based on the family's income.
"Typically it's a family or people spending a high percentage of their income on substandard housing," said Mr. McIntosh. "It's not a handout, it's a hand up."
Formed in 1992, the Middletown affiliate of Habitat has built 14 homes, and has not lost a single family.
"We've had good community support, church support, big business support," Ms. Wood said. "We have all of our original families. They're all current on their house payments."
Habitat, a nonprofit group that uses no government money, encourages local people to solve a local problem themselves, Mr. Boehner said. "I think they do excellent work around the country and around the world," he said. "This is an example of what people can do in their communities to really solve the need for for good housing."
