FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contacts:
Laura Hanna
Director of Communications
Trinity Metro
817-215-8973 (office)
817-721-0734 (cell)
Mark Rummel
Marketing Manager
Trinity Habitat for Humanity
817-926-9219 ext. 107 (office)
214-223-9571 (cell)
TEXRail and Trinity Habitat for Humanity
to dedicate home near bus route
TEXRail sponsors Trinity Habitat for Humanity home
(FORT WORTH, TEXAS) June 21, 2018 – Trinity Metro, owner of the new TEXRail commuter rail line from downtown Fort Worth to DFW International Airport, and Trinity Habitat for Humanity (THFH) will dedicate the home at 941 Irma Street, at 7:30 a.m. Friday, June 22. TEXRail is sponsoring the home, which is the 49th one that Trinity Habitat has built in Fort Worth’s Hillside Morningside neighborhood, and which is located near a Trinity Metro bus route.
Speakers for the dedication ceremony include Senior Vice President Bob Baulsir, THFH CEO Gage Yager, THFH Sponsor Relations Manager Sandra Houston and the Thang family, who are the new homeowners. After the ceremony, Trinity Metro’s senior leadership and employees will don hardhats to work on the home, which is currently under construction. June 22 is the third “build day” undertaken by Trinity Metro employees and volunteers.
“With TEXRail nearing completion, we think this is the perfect time to provide a home to a family in our community,” Baulsir said. “The construction phase of TEXRail will be finished by the end of the year and our Trinity Habitat for Humanity house will be completed in the same timeframe. We appreciate the support of Archer Western Herzog, Huitt-Zollars, Jacobs, Parsons/Transystems and other donors who made this project possible.”
President/CEO Paul Ballard said the Habitat project reflects Trinity Metro’s commitment to the community. “Our mission is to help Tarrant County residents have access to public transportation. We are delighted to sponsor this project. The location is ideal because we have Route 4, which runs on Irma Street, and provides access to downtown Fort Worth and TEXRail.”
About the Family
The TEXRail-sponsored home is being built for H. Lian Thang and his wife, Mary Kai. They moved to the United States in December 2009 from Myanmar. Nine years later, they will have their own home. The Habitat program allows families to have an affordable 30-year mortgage (averaging $550 per month). The Thangs will invest 250 “sweat equity” hours in place of a down payment.
H. Lian Thang, who works as a stocker at Walmart, is excited about this opportunity. “I am the only one working to help provide for my family. Owning a Habitat home is the best program for my family to help keep the payment affordable,” he said. “I love to read, play soccer and go on walks. A Habitat home will allow me to have more free time to do these activities I love.”
About Trinity Metro
Trinity Metro is a regional transportation system that provides public transportation to meet the mobility needs in Tarrant County and offers connections throughout the North Central Texas region. Trinity Metro annually provides 10 million passenger trips on buses, vanpools and the Trinity Railway Express (TRE). Trinity Metro jointly owns and operates the TRE with Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). Trinity Metro is constructing TEXRail, a new commuter rail line that will operate from downtown Fort Worth to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s Terminal B, with revenue service to begin in early January. Trinity Metro is governed by an 11-member board of directors, consisting of eight Fort Worth City Council appointments and three Tarrant County Commissioners Court appointments.
About Trinity Habitat for Humanity
Trinity Habitat for Humanity builds strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable housing. Together, with our supporters and volunteers, we empower low-income families to transform their lives and neighborhoods. As families need to dedicate more of their income to cover housing costs, they have less available for other basic needs such as food, clothing, and medications. Poverty housing casts low-income families into an unforgiving cycle of physical and emotional duress, compromising their health, academic achievement, and sense of security. Having a safe and adequate place to live can bring stability and hope to families who have spent years struggling to get ahead.