A HEARTFELT MISSION

Nonprofit helps local residents secure safe housing

The scent of fresh paint still lingers in the air, and sunlight glints off brand-new windows as the final touches are made on the modest house on Harmon HIlls Road. After weeks of sawing, hammering and painting, construction is nearly complete. Soon, Connie and Denis McGovern will walk through the door into their new home thanks to the mission of a local nonprofit and the efforts of nearly 150 volunteers.

Hometown Missions will be holding a house blessing and dedication for the McGoverns on Saturday, May 24 at 1 p.m. The community is invited to attend, along with the supporters, volunteers, and local leaders who made this project a reality.

This is the third Home in a Month project of the year for Hometown Missions a record for the small community nonprofit, which started 15 years ago in a rather unexpected way. Chuck Lemmond, who was involved with an outreach group at his church, was sent to go look at a frozen pipe for a neighbor. What he discovered was a house that needed a lot more than some plumbing work.

“She was a single mom with five children, recently widowed. And her home was unlivable,” Lemmond said. “She asked me if I could help her fix it, and I said no, but I'll get you a new house, how about that? And as those words came out of my mouth, I was like, okay, who's saying that?”

Lemmond went back to his truck, where his 7 year old daughter was waiting.

“I got back in and I said, I think I promised that lady a house,” Lemmond said.

At first, he told himself that there was no way he could do that, and he didn’t know what had overcome him. But after a couple days, he still couldn't unsee what he had seen. He called a bunch of people together and they met one night at the Methodist Church. Within three months, the group had raised $25,000. Through a connection with Alan Graham of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, they were able to buy a new three bedroom, one bathroom mobile home for the family.

“We tore down her home, brought in a new home, completely redid porches, decks, electric service, in three months,” Lemmond said. “And the same thing that you see here today [at the McGovern project] happened then. The community came out and came together and did that gave money, gave their time, gave their effort and it was a miracle.”

Lemmond is currently the vice chair of the Hometown Missions board, and said that he and the others are still friends with that mom today.

“We have helped her on her journey in life,” Lemmond said. “And that's the big part of what Hometown Missions is. It's more than just the house. The house is the starting point. It provides dignity, it provides a safe place to live. But there's always more.”

As Lemmond soon discovered, there were also more people who needed help. Initially, he thought it was a onetime deal. But soon the group heard about another couple who were living in a similar situation, only worse.

There was a nun in residence at the local Catholic Church who also knew the couple, and who was retiring. She wanted to donate her mobile home to them. So once again, the group demolished the old home, and moved the nun’s mobile home across town. They provided new furniture, new kitchen wares and everything.

“That man only lived about another year. He had cancer and he passed away,” Lemmond said. “But I went to see him about two weeks before he died. He was in an easy chair, in air conditioning, and he had dignity that he never had before.”

Lemmond said some of the families that ask for help from Hometowns Missions have more problems than just housing. The organization aims to help them in many aspects, either directly or by connecting them with other services.

“When we get involved with someone, we're all in 100%. So whatever reveals itself over time, we're there,” Lemmond said. “We're not just like, hey, here's your house, good luck.” Chris Kelker-Newlan, who came on board as the organization’s operations manager three years ago, echoed that sentiment.

“We will never give a home to a family that would then become a burden. We don't want to do that. And we would never do that,” Kelker-Newlan said. “Before we make that gift we get to know the families really, really well. As it should be.”

Hometown Missions works to understand what's going on with the family, and how they can best help. They provide financial counseling for the family and make sure they can handle any additional tax burden. Older mobile homes are sometimes replaced with gently used homes that just need a little TLC, and sometimes with brand new versions. Occasionally they tear down a home and replace it with a foundation frame home. The McGovern house is the third such project.

“Connie and Dennis have lived in this community for a very long time. They've raised two boys in this community,” Kelker-Newlan said. “Where this house is now, this was her mom and dad's home. It was just decaying around them. And they just did not have the means any more to keep it up or to replace it.”

So almost two years ago, Connie reached out to Hometown Missions and asked for some help.

“It's important to understand that these neighbors in need in our community, they work hard. They work in our stores, they work in our shops, they work in our school district,” Kelker-Newlan said. “The community is just growing by leaps and bounds around them.”

Hometown Mission works to help those families stay in the community and with their families.

“Connie has grandchildren now, and that old home, it was not safe for the little wee grandchildren to come over,” Kelker-Newlan said. “So they can come over now, and she's so excited about that.”

Kelker-Newlan said they’ve had six more families reach out and ask for help since the beginning of the year. He said the group may not be able to help them all, but they will be able to help most of them. It just takes time, resources and planning.

“When we share our story, this community, Dripping Springs, they answer the call,” Kelker-Newlan said. “Volunteers, funding, in kind donations the roof on this house, completely free, the electrical, completely free - because people are kind and compassionate and they want to love their neighbors.”

One of those volunteers is Marylou Brunetta, who moved to Dripping Springs from Florida a year ago. She started volunteering in March, towards the end of the previous project, after learning about Hometown Missions on Facebook.

“I have a decorating and interior design background, and I thought, wow, this is perfect. I felt like it was a sign from God,” Brunetta said. “I love making homes look beautiful and helping out in the community as well, so this was right up my alley.’

For the McGovern home, she wanted to follow the project all the way through. She helped with clean out prior to demolition day, and has been involved all along the way.

“It's very rewarding. It's such a communal thing,” Brunetta said. “I just feel so blessed that I came across it. I can't say enough good about it, honestly.”

There are also businesses whose employees volunteer together. Brandy Mendez came out with a team from Corridor Title.

“I love giving back to the community, and Corridor Title is really big on community support, so there's a lot of opportunities to get involved,” Mendez said.

She volunteered with Hometown Missions last year as well.

“I was just super impressed by all of the people that came out to volunteer - seeing everybody being willing to offer and lend a hand,” Mendez said.

She said she also appreciates that Hometown Mission provides the backstory and shares a little bit about the family who is receiving the home.

“Just being able to hear that and get a better, deeper understanding of why we were doing what we were doing and who we were serving was just really sweet and rewarding.”

Janice Englehart is a longtime volunteer who now serves on the board of Hometown Missions.

“I actually started volunteering about 10 years ago with my two boys. I was on the board of Young Men's Service League and we adopted Hometown Missions as one of our service projects,” Englehart said.

Then, about two years ago, she was asked to consider joining the board. At first, she declined due to her other commitments.

“Then I met with the board and God just put on my heart, okay, yes, I can do this,” Englehart said. “So I came on board and it's just been such a blessing to me. I have just loved getting to know the families that we serve on a deeper level than I ever did as a volunteer.”

Englehart said there are always opportunities to get involved with the group.

“We don't build houses in the summer because it's too hot, but we're fixing stairs, making home repairs,” Englehart said. “We work all year round. We're always on the call, we're always doing stuff.”

She said there is a lot of joy in seeing the little things that the group can do for people that make a huge difference in their lives.

“Everybody who comes here makes a difference, whether they pick up a paintbrush or whether they pick up tree limbs,” Englehart said. “Every small act of kindness makes a difference that we don't even see, but it ripples. The circle keeps getting bigger.”

Kellan di Donato, who recently joined Hometown Missions as a part-time project site coordinator, said the group can always use more volunteers.

“If it sounds like something that someone is interested in, they should check us out online and see how they can hop in,” di Donato said. “There's a lot of things where we need people with some sort of construction background, but there's a lot of other things where if you’ve got a set of hands, we can use them.”

Di Donato is only the second employee the group has had. Chuck Lemmond said he’s proud of how much the organization has grown. While he’s thought several times of hanging up his hammer, so far he can’t do it.

“I have found in my life that God won't let me quit, and that's the honest truth,” Lemmond said. “I'm not evangelical or anything, but what I am is obedient. The gifts and talents that I've been given play perfectly into being able to to build and organize something like this.”

Lemmond said that even after 15 years, it's still a joy and a privilege to work with Hometown Missions.

“What we have now is the strongest, most committed group of individuals I think that we could find in this town. It's tremendous,” Lemmond said. “A tremendous blessing.”

To find out more about the organization and the home dedication, visit www.hometownmissions. org. To see more photos of the McGovern Home in a Month project, visit www.davewilson. smugmug.com/Homein- a-Month-2025.