Takes a village to build a home


Community volunteers will team together and construct phase one of a Hands of Mercy loft-house at 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sat., Feb. 23 in the parking lot of StoneBridge Church, 4832 Cochran St., Simi Valley.

“It’s an ingenious design and an ingenious strategy,” says Jonathan Lusche, associate pastor. “Hands of Mercy designed a small house that is modularly constructed. The first phase of construction takes place in a church’s parking lot.

“The module floor, walls, and roof are then loaded onto a trailer, driven across our southern border, where phase two takes place in Ensenada.”

For those who like construction and want to help the less fortunate but cannot travel, they get the opportunity to contribute without leaving home.

However, for those with the same skill set, compassion and a heart for adventure, they can travel to Ensenada the following weekend to finish the job.

This will be StoneBridge’s fourth house built in almost as many years.

“The parking lot construction not only builds a house, it builds community right here in Simi,” says longtime volunteer, Jan Carr. “It’s great to have people of all ages come right off the street to lend a hand, throw a hammer, and make new friends. Once, a football coach brought over some football players to help load the trailer and they were here for 20 minutes.”

More often than not, people who have participated in previous years come back, bringing with them experience to the needs of the project.

People with construction skills of all levels can participate. Volunteers can come for an hour or the whole time.

“This is truly a case when many hands make for light work,” says Lusche.

For more information about Hands of Mercy homes, go to handsofmercy.com/lofthouse.

For more about StoneBridge Community Church, visit www.stonebridgesimi.com.