ALVARADO — Peach Orchard Park, a local housing project designed to provide assistance to people in need, is a product of Paula Rayburn’s vocation and faith — and her love of peaches.

Where she lives, 211 N. Friou near downtown, is where she grew up.

“I was one of eight children,” she said. “When I was 5, my family brought the farm house here from out where the sanitary landfill is now. We built this house in 1963.

“In 2002, this house became available, and my brother Michael suggested I buy it, so I did. Six or seven years ago, I was sitting here and looking out the back window, remembering the peach orchard and vegetable garden Mr. Park had when I was young.

“There were 14 peach trees. I loved peaches. I came from a pear orchard and didn’t like pears. Sitting here, I thought, ‘Those trees are like peoples’ lives. They need to be nurtured. They need to be fixed.’

“I’ve been a faith-based counselor for 28 years. I’m licensed by the state. I worked for Texas Workforce in Cleburne for 23 years. I was accustomed to taking the lives of people who were on food stamps and welfare and seeing them transform, sometimes just through child care, transportation and going to school.”

The name Peach Orchard Park came to be because it was originally Park’s peach orchard. The housing plan didn’t start to become a reality until recent years.

“This land [about two acres] became available through the city of Alvarado,” Rayburn said. “We purchased the property and removed a 10,000 square foot building that had been condemned.”

Peach Orchard Park will take up much of the city block. All that remains to be done is the construction of the five small homes and a three-bay garage. Official groundbreaking will be from 2-3 p.m. Sunday. City dignitaries are expected.

Paula Rayburn is president of the project. Brother Michael Rayburne is general manager. Other directors include Deborah Bailey, Judy Durington, Daniel Zamora, Pamela Rayburne, Karen Rayburne, Linda Jennings, Pat White and Harley Daughtery.

“We’re wanting to help families that have been in abusive situations,” Paula Rayburn said. “They’ve already been through the system. They just need a home. They’ll never own the homes. They’re transitional, but the transition may take five to 10 years.

“You can’t have the abuser back on the property. This is nonviolent property. It’s also alcohol- and drug-free. We’ll have teams of people who assess who can be in the house.”

When she did a study of violence and abuse in the state of Texas in 2002, Rayburn said, Johnson County was 16th in the state among counties.

“I would say it’s because of drugs and alcohol,” Rayburn said. “I believe people come here with their kids, thinking they can get away from drugs by coming to a small town. They bring the drugs with them. Then the kids become adults.

“We’re not here to judge anybody. We’re just here to take five families and see if we can help them restore their lives.”

Two of the houses will be 1,300 square feet. Three will be 1,100 square feet. The homes will be connected by sidewalks.

“It’s a planned development community because that’s what the planning and zoning committee said,” Rayburn said. “There are also plans for a counseling center on the block and a garage so we can help with transportation.

“When I was at Texas Workforce, people would have trouble getting to their jobs because of transportation issues. Transportation and child care are the two things women need, though Peach Orchard Park isn’t strictly women. It’s for families.”

Even when transportation and child care issues are solved, the cycle of abuse is difficult to break, Rayburn said.

“I had a lady just the other night who didn’t want to leave an abusive, alcoholic situation because of her puppy dog. She couldn’t leave the dog because of a threat of killing the dog. So, I have envisioned a dog run in Peach Orchard Park.”

Rayburn decided on Alvarado for Peach Orchard Park because Alvarado is home.

“I was coming home from Tyler one day, and it was raining, and I had a friend in the car,” Rayburn said, “and I said, ‘I want to go home.’ I knew what my plan and purpose in life was, to help people in Alvarado. I wanted to go to church in Alvarado and live in Alvarado. I’ve lived here my whole life except for college years and for three years after my son got married.”

A nonprofit public charity, Peach Orchard Park may not be as difficult to fund in the downturned economy as some think.

“The surveyors up on the square, Rick Hickman and Chris Bradley, did all the surveying,” Rayburn said. “Glen Thurman is going to do the excavating, and his equipment will be here Saturday and Sunday. The heating and air-conditioning has been donated on the first house. We had two fundraisers that were very successful. One painting by Doug Prine went for $6,000.

“It’s a five-year project. The men in town are going to build the [first] house. Right now, the only thing we don’t have is the lumber and the plumbing. I believe the electricity is taken care of.

“This community is just amazing.”