TULSA, Okla. — Green Country Habitat for Humanity (GCHFH) hosted the Clark Howard Blitz Build on Saturday, breaking ground on six new homes for the nonprofit organization.

The Blitz Build kicked off GCHFH’s community initiative to build 250 new homes in north Tulsa over the next five to seven years.

Clark Howard, FOX23′s consumer advisor, annually sponsors individual home builds with GCHFH, which offers affordable homeownership opportunities to first-time homebuyers.

The Blitz Build is the first event of its kind in Tulsa, and will see work on six homes at once, all located in the Dunbar area by Carver Middle School in north Tulsa.

“These are wonderful, well-built homes for hard working Tulsa families who wouldn’t be able to buy a home otherwise,” said Howard.

Howard said the homes are expected to be done in about four months. Families are tentatively planning to move in by the end of summer.

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This six-home build is made possible by Howard and five other companies: Ameristar, Hilti, ONE Gas, ONEOK and Williams. Each participant is sponsoring the homes’ construction. This paid cost, plus volunteer labor, makes the houses affordable for the home buyers.

“We cover a lot of the hard costs, but the overall cost is paid for by the home buyer,” said Howard. “So the whole idea is the sponsors put money in, the volunteer labor, all add together, and the home buyer ends up with a three bedroom, two bath, two garage house for about $9 hundred a month. It’s a deal.”

Initiatives for affordable housing are especially important, due to the volatility of the current housing market.

“Tulsa, like much of the rest of America, is having a true affordability problem with housing. People who normally would be able to afford a decent place to live are having a really hard time,” said Howard. “So the role Habitat plays is extra important by building nice, new, affordable homes for hard working families.”

Howard encourages people to volunteer at GCHFH home builds on Saturdays.

“One of the great things about Habitat is this happens because of the generosity of people in the Tulsa community,” said Howard. “If you’ve been looking for something to do on a Saturday, come and volunteer. You’ll feel great after you’ve done it ... That’s what people power can do.”

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