Habitat for Humanity International began helping the less fortunate realize the dream of owning their own home long before network TV executives and talk show hosts discovered this kind of charity made for good Nielsen ratings.

Now the nonprofit Christian housing organization, which began in Georgia in 1976, is bringing its goodwill services to Simi Valley.

In just over two weeks, the selection process will begin to decide which three needy families will move into the first-ever Habitat homes ever constructed inside city limits.

The three 1,200-square-foot, three-bedroom homes, which will not be constructed until after the families are selected, are to be located on a parcel of parkland at the corner of Royal and Sequoia avenues.

Local resident and Habitat volunteer Scott Kuklin told the city's Neighborhood Council No. 1 that the homes, and the families that live in them, will be an asset to their community.

"They're not fancy, but they're going to be very beautiful, very well-built homes," said Kuklin, who's been working with Habitat since September 2005 and has been selected as project manager for the Simi development.

The project, which was originally applied for in 2003, has cleared every hurdle the city's set up for all housing developments and is now just months from groundbreaking.

Kuklin said deciding who gets to live in these quality homes is up to a selection committee from Habitat, which must go through a detailed interview process that includes visiting the applicants at their current residences as well as ensuring that the families will be able to pay off the loan on the house-which generally amounts to around $100,000. In addition, Habitat homes only go to families that are at 30 percent or less of the county's median income and reside in substandard or overcrowded housing.

"A lot of people get the wrong idea about this: we don't give them the house; they have to pay for it," Kuklin said.

And help build it as well. Families selected by Habitat are required to put in 500 hours of sweat equity into constructing their homes-hard work that not only gives them a better sense of ownership, but also teaches them valuable carpentry and electrical skills.

Habitat's original plan for Simi included six homes, but pressure from concerned residents whittled the project down to three.

Kuklin said the bias against a project such as this one usually comes from peoples' apprehension concerning low-income housing, which in the case of Habitat homes, couldn't be more misplaced.

"Some people believe 'low-income' (translates) to drugs and welfare, and that's just not the case here," said Kuklin, who explained the homes will be much nicer than many of the residences currently located along Royal Avenue. "I think once these homes go up, it will be a learning experience for everyone."

Kuklin, who just helped complete a 22-home project in Piru, said many of the families who move into Habitat homes are single-parent households where the mother or father works one--or two--fulltime jobs but still can't afford all of their family's expenses.

"These are hard-working people who just don't make enough to afford to live in decent housing," Kuklin said. "I think with the cost of living out here, most of us can understand that."

Shannon Nash, the city's senior planner for the Department of Environmental Services, has worked with Habitat to see this project come to fruition. She said there are reasons beyond affordable housing requirements why the city is willing to pay the cost of the land as well pay for all required permits.

"Many families in the very low income bracket who work (in Simi Valley) cannot afford to rent in Simi-this allows them to own their home," Nash said. "Otherwise, they'd have to commute long distances to keep the jobs they have. This affords them the opportunity to be in the same community that they work in and their kids go to school in."

To help make the project happen, the city paid $120,000 to buy the land from the Rancho Simi Park District, as well as gave an additional $150,000 to Habitat to cover the cost of county and city building permits.

Kuklin, who's lived in Simi Valley for six years, praised the work done by the city council to welcome Habitat into the community.

"It's really gratifying to see the city get behind people that need their help," Kuklin said. "It shows that they're not only interested in the welfare of highincome residents."

Habitat should finish selecting the three families by midMay and construction will begin not long after that, when, Kuklin said, the organization will begin looking for local volunteers to help build the homes. Those interested in volunteering should call the local Habitat office at (805) 485-6065.

Kuklin expects the homes to be move-in ready during the first quarter of 2007. He said the families that move in do not have to be from Simi Valley, but it's likely.

And although there won't be any TV crews to welcome them in, Kuklin said, three more families will have homes of their own, thanks to Habitat.

"If someone asks how we solve the world's problems of hunger and homelessness," Kuklin said, "Habitat for Humanity's answer is one house at a time."