Ann Nixon started building with Habitat for Humanity of Hall County five years ago, becoming a full-time builder three years ago. Now she’s the organization’s executive director. Her biggest challenge will be how to not only sustain the program, but to grow it. Habitat will be partnering with Hall County to rehabilitate existing houses for new homeowners.

And Nixon wants to recruit new volunteers to the effort, which she says is not only rewarding, but a lot of fun.

Today, The Times asks Nixon five questions about Habitat and the volunteering effort that has become one of her passions.

1. What are your goals as executive director?

My No. 1 objective is to throw the arms of Habitat Hall County wider than they have ever been. We are gearing up for expansion this year, while doing our best to keep pace with our ongoing commitments.

We have three immediate goals. In just a matter of days we will be opening a new ReStore retail outlet at 2285 Browns Bridge Road. We are resellers of donated items including building products, housewares, furniture and appliances, and the proceeds are used as a funding source for building Habitat homes.

The new location will add almost 50 percent more floor space than we’ve had in the past, so we need help to build up donations of furniture, appliances and home repair supplies. Or bring us the car, boat or other large item that you no longer need.

We are also on a volunteer recruitment drive for volunteer builders as a result of new program initiatives with Hall County that will dramatically increase the number of families that we will be able to place in 2013.

Lastly, we must reach more people with our story so that there’s a better understanding of the scope and impact of what we do. We rely heavily on the support of the business community and those special individuals in the community who help us keep up momentum and make it happen.

2. What kind of need do you see for Habitat homes in this community?

The recent recession resulted in loss of jobs, home foreclosures and dislocation of families. Now, though the house construction industry is on its way back, we face an increase in deteriorated housing stock and major hurdles for homebuyers of limited means to qualify for conventional home mortgages. This is where Habitat comes in.

Our mission is to help homebuyers who meet our income and credit requirements and who are willing to invest “sweat equity” or volunteer time in building homes alongside our volunteers. Our homebuyer partners benefit from no-interest, no-fee loans and solidly built houses in established neighborhoods. As we say, it’s a hand up and not a handout for our homeowners who see this as a breakthrough opportunity to build a better future.

3. What kind of challenges do you see ahead?

Most of Habitat’s history in Hall County has been with building new homes. We now are entering a new venture, under direction of the Hall County Board of Commissioners, to be its agent for managing rehabilitation work for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

The houses are foreclosures that need serious TLC, some including extensive renovation, before they are ready to be a home for our first-time homeowners. Since the NSP program will result in faster turns of completed projects — none are being built from scratch — we will need more volunteers, flexible scheduling and knowledgeable oversight. It’s going to be a challenge for us, but we are definitely up to the task.

4. How does having a place to call home impact the emotional development and well-being of both children and adults?

To understand the impact on a family I think you need to start with the head of household. Those who meet our selection criteria have modest incomes and often are coming through a hardship that has disrupted the family situation.

It could be someone who was forced to use savings to cover an illness or extraordinary event that drained a nest egg for a home. Or it might be someone with obligations that have kept them from saving for a commercial mortgage down payment even though they can make mortgage payments over time.

For those selected to be Habitat homeowner partners the situation changes right from the outset. These folks put their own efforts into first building homes for others and then into their own house, and take pride in the outcome. They feel the warmth of a community coming together during the construction process to make a difference for them.

The kids, who may have lived in substandard housing or a shared dwelling, feel safe and secure, often for the first time. Research shows that children who have moved from transitional housing to growing in their own home have better educational outcomes, have higher rates of college attendance and enjoy better health outcomes than those who do not.

Habitat helps build a stronger next generation. We are dedicating our next home mid-March. Another deserving family in their own home for the first time!

5. We’ve heard that Habitat here in Hall County has two programs that demonstrate your use of partnerships: HabitatHigh and WomenBuild. How do they contribute to your overall success?

Habitat for Humanity is an organization that seeks to find ways to fold in volunteers of all stripes. The HabitatHigh program is the only program of its kind. An initiative that brings together the Hall County school system, the Hall County Builders Association and Habitat Hall County, we draw students from five area high schools who have excelled in construction class and offer a select group the opportunity to work on-site four days a week from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Students gain valuable real world experience building from the ground up, and will soon learn the unique challenges inherent in renovation. This program has garnered attention from all over North America and has attracted a New Hampshire high school, sending a group of 20 to stay with us for four days in April to learn what we are doing.

The WomenBuild program seeks to empower women with an experience that is traditionally the domain of men.

My journey with Habitat started with a WomenBuild-sponsored introduction to power tools seminar. After that I was hooked.

I started building five years ago, committed to being a full-time builder three years ago, and look where I’ve landed. The joy of building with Habitat is that you, the volunteer, male or female, can come to us with no experience or a lifetime of it, and we will teach those who need it and let loose those who bring skills to the site.

Whether seasoned or rank amateur, building with Habitat Hall County is a whole lot of fun.