For Brian Reid, originally from New England, Habitat for Humanity is more than just building homes.
“I met my wife on a Habitat affiliate in Boston,” Reid said. “At the end of the two-year project, that Habitat did a walk from Portland, Maine, to Atlanta, Ga., and we said, ‘Let’s go for a long walk.’”
Reid said that on this Habitat walk, he and his would-be wife got to know each other even better, and “I proposed to her on that walk.”
He added that whenever he and his family go somewhere new, they look up the local Habitat affiliate to get involved.
“I like the people. I like the work that they do. I like what they’re all about,” Reid said.
Reid said that he initially got involved in Habitat for Humanity because he was interested in learning more about building a house.
“And 30 years later, I’m still learning,” he said.
He added, “Construction is hard. And you get some people who were working in an office, and what is so cool is seeing people come out and appreciate how hard it is to build a house … It’s encouraging to see those different worlds come together.”
While Reid has volunteered for the Dallas Habitat affiliate, which builds more than 100 homes per year and is the fourth-largest builder in the city by volume, he’s never seen partner families who show up and “jump right in” they like do at Habitat Archuleta.
“Our partner families are really active here,” Reid added. “They’re out here much more than what I’ve seen in other affiliates ... and they know what they’re doing.”
Reid added that he loves seeing how a neighborhood evolves when Habitat for Humanity gets involved.
“Out of where there was really nothing — or there was no affordable housing in a certain area — Habitat will come in, and over time, you have a whole community,” he said.
While Reid modestly said he’s not involved in much else in Archuleta County, he recently donated two lots to the Pagosa Springs Community Development Corporation, which is building affordable housing in a nearby neighborhood to this year’s Habitat builds. He was the only individual to do so; the other lots were donated by organizations and companies.
Reid said while in Pagosa Springs, he and his wife enjoy hiking and heading to the local pickleball courts. He also comes up to Wolf Creek to ski a few times per winter.
Reid is part of the Texas contingent of Habitat Archuleta volunteers; he spends his winters in the Dallas area and his summers in Pagosa Springs. He said he and his family are hoping they can live in Pagosa Springs full-time soon.
“We drove in circles from Dallas until we found someplace pretty, and this is the first place we found,” he said.
