Virginia

‘Is My House Sinking?': Vet Says Habitat Humanity Home Is Falling Apart

Brown, murky water that has an odor flows out of the home's faucets

A dream home has turned into a nightmare for a single mother and Army veteran in Stafford County, Virginia.

Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization known for building homes for people and families in need, built Amanda Hobbs' home in 2017.

Hundreds of volunteers built the structure in just three days.

Hobbs got the keys in November and said she quickly noticed some problems with the foundation of the home so she reached out to Habitat for Humanity.

“They fixed the major code violation probably within about a month or two,” Hobbs said.

But more issues continued to flow.

Water now comes out of the faucets brown and murky with an odor. Hobbs said the water also stains the tile in the bathroom.

While tests showed the water isn't contaminated, Hobbs has avoided drinking it and has to stock up on gallons of water from the grocery store.

"We stand by our work," Cassie Kimberlin, the executive director for the Greater Fredericksburg Habitat for Humanity said in a statement to News4.

"The home in question is on a well system and the water has been certified as safe," Kimberlin's statement said in part.

The statement goes on to say the organization is working with Hobbs to "mitigate her concerns about the coloration and taste of the water, including treatment options."

“My concern is still is my house sinking?” Hobbs said.

Kimberlin also said in the statement that Habitat Humanity homeowners buy their homes with affordable mortgages and have the same responsibilites to maintain their homes as any other homeowner.

However, Hobbs believes she has been left with a shoddy home.

“They kind of put us in these homes and then they dump us. There’s no real partnership,” Hobbs said.

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