"Burn, Baby, Burn"

By Jim Purks

For Hattie Pitts Butler, that expression carries all positive connotations as she rejoices in paying off her mortgage three years early.

Homeowner Hattie Pitts is pictured in front of her Habitat house in Americus, Georgia.

After 17 years of steadily, faithfully making monthly zero-interest payments on her wood-frame, three-bedroom house in Americus, Ga., Hattie Pitts Butler owns her house free and clear. And the object of her comment, “burn, baby, burn,” is the mortgage papers to her Habitat house at 519 Poplar St.

The milestone underscores a new phase of Hattie’s life. She and her husband, Thomas, have volunteered to be guardians in their Habitat house of a baby girl, born prematurely, whose mother cannot look after her.

It’s yet another mountaintop undertaking for the always-smiling and positive Hattie, who made the first payment on her Habitat house in 1983. She moved in as a single mother with six children—three boys, three girls. All of them—given the opportunity to grow up in a decent, affordable house—have moved on to good jobs and their own places to live.

But two decades ago, Hattie’s story was very different. Divorced, she lived in a three-room apartment with her children. “It was really, really bad,” she says. All six children had to sleep in the same room. There were four bunk beds. They had to go outside for the bathroom or to bathe. The house was cold in the winter. If any repairs were done, and they were rare, the landlord always raised the rent.

Daughter Jo Ann Pitts, now 30, echoes the memories of rough times before the family had their Habitat house—times so rough that she resolved she would never have to endure such conditions again. She recently purchased her own house and has worked for 13 years as an employee at automotive supplier Davidson Textron in Americus.

She remembers moving into the Habitat house: “I wasn’t embarrassed anymore,” she says. “We moved into what was a mansion to me. We even had a bathtub. We didn’t have to go outside for water. We were just blessed.”

In the years that followed, Hattie became an inspiration to other homeowners. She served as a volunteer at Habitat’s headquarters, and became an employee in 1988. She became a legend with what people still enthusiastically call “Hattie’s tour.” With a joy that’s contagious, Hattie—now assistant manager at the local Habitat ReStore—still enjoys driving visitors to Habitat house locations. She describes how past wretched conditions were transformed by Habitat. “Hattie’s tour” almost always ends…where else? At Hattie’s house.

While her tours may vary, her message is consistent. She says that a positive, will-do attitude is essential for Habitat homeowners. Above all, Hattie says to keep faith in God.

“It felt good to say I had done something like that, paying off the mortgage. I did it, everybody else can, too,” Hattie says. “Have faith in the Lord, let him guide you. That was the only strength that I had.”

Over the years she has done more than voice optimistic messages. She has taken action by founding the Families Helping Families Association. This association has helped Habitat homeowner families in difficulty and has been a forum for them to share experiences. Hattie also founded a local reading program that brought HFHI staff and volunteers together with homeowner children to help the youth develop communication skills.

Three years ago, she married Thomas Butler, and on her 56th birthday last May, he expressed his love in a special way. He paid off the remainder of the mortgage as a surprise gift to honor his wife.


Snapshot
Hattie Pitts Butler, Americus, Ga., United States
House description: Three-bedroom, wood-frame house with Masonite siding
Moved in: 1983
Total amount of mortgage: $16,081
Monthly payment: $67
Paid off in: 2000


Jim Purks is a senior writer at Habitat for Humanity International.


Reprinted from Habitat World Magazine, April/May 2001.
This article may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
©2001 Habitat for Humanity International