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Melissa Nielson said she wasn’t going to cry, but she did. Tears of joy spilled as she talked about the “extremely long journey” that brought her to the doorstep of her new home in Rogue River. A single mother with two children, Nielson thought she’d never own her own home, much less have a hand in building it. When she split up with her children’s father more than a year ago, her income was not enough to cover a huge rent increase plus other expenses. She and the children were forced to move in with her parents in Rogue River. The small, two-bedroom home already was crowded, so she and the children slept on air mattresses in the living room. In a ceremony Monday, Nielson was handed the keys to a three-bedroom, two-bath home in Rogue Valley Habitat for Humanity’s newest housing development. After investing 500 hours of “sweat equity” and placing a small down payment, she and her children can now call 115 Dove Place home. It’s a dream come true, she said. “For the first-time ever, my kids have their own rooms,” Nielson said. And 10-year-old Zoey and 11-year-old Levi already have big plans for those rooms. Zoey says she’ll decorate her bedroom in a Hawaiian theme. Levi has plastered an image of St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina on the wall. Other walls will pay tribute to his favorite football teams: The Los Angeles (he prefers St. Louis) Rams and New York Giants. Members of the Brownlow family also received keys to their dream home Monday. Bianca Brownlow knew she’d cry, so she had her acceptance speech typed out on her smartphone. “This is a great time to celebrate,” she said, standing alongside her husband, Tim, and their three children. “After two years scrambling to find a place that was practical and safe … when rentals were scarce and being able to afford to buy a home was out of the question, God came through. We are so grateful.” The Nielsons’ and Brownlows’ three-bedroom, two-bath homes are adjacent units in a two-story duplex in the Dove Place subdivision off Foothill Boulevard, west of downtown Rogue River. The 2.5 acre development eventually will include 14 similar homes on land donated in 2015 by Louise Wall, a longtime resident and the owner of the Dove Book Center in Rogue River. “This was Louise’s vision,” said Denise James, executive director of Rogue Valley Habitat for Humanity. “Community-minded, she wanted to do something for the families in her community. “The need for affordable housing is even greater than when we started (three years ago).” The project — the 63rd and 64th homes built by Habitat for Humanity in Jackson County — “was by far the largest project we’ve ever done, and the process from start to finish longer,” she said. To make Wall’s vision a reality required a substantial investment in infrastructure. Habitat spent $250,000 punching in and paving the cul-de-sac, installing water, sewer and electrical lines, and laying curbs, gutters and sidewalks. James said the project “took more money and more time” than originally budgeted, but major contributions from Rogue River churches and businesses and volunteer carpenters, electricians and plumbers from Rogue River were instrumental in completing the project. It also required a “significant buy-in by the city of Rogue River,” she said. Plans are in the works for the next phase. James anticipates the remainder of the project will be less complicated. “We learn something new each time we have a build,” she said. “It was certainly true here.” Despite the setbacks, “this has been life-changing” for these two families, James said. Tim Brownlow, like Melissa Nielson, had no experience or expertise in home building. After weeks of framing rooms, installing sheet rock and painting interior walls, it all became real, he said, when the exterior siding went up. “It started looking like a house finally,” he said. “I am a telephone lineman. I had never built anything before. I learned a lot, which will be a huge benefit in the future.” He admits the experience has been overwhelming, but “it means stability for my family. We’ll be in this house a very long time without fear of bouncing around.” Ever since the Brownlows moved to Rogue River in 2010 with their young family, which now includes 8-year-old Matthew, 4-year-old Isabella and 18-month-old Madilyn, their housing situation has been tenuous. At first glance, their last rental seemed ideal. After moving in, they discovered the two-bedroom house was unsafe. The water was brown and not suitable to drink. The foundation was crumbling, which caused the house to lean, and there were one-inch gaps around some of the windows because the house was off-kilter. Someone at their local church suggested they apply for a house in the new Habitat project in Rogue River. After going through a stringent vetting process, the Habitat families are required to attend classes in home maintenance, learn about building codes, and show their aptitude for handling finances. In addition to the “sweat equity,” each family had to save enough for a small down payment. The families then assumed a 30-year, no-interest loan for the cost of property improvements and materials. Their mortgage payments are between $500 and $750 per month, including taxes and insurance. Gail Frank, who partnered with Nielson as she built her home, called the project “a labor of love.” “It’s not about building a wall. It’s about creating safety and peace. This is a new chapter in these families’ lives.” Reach Grants Pass freelance writer Tammy Asnicar at [email protected] .