Aug. 29, 2022 2p
(WGTD)---The Racine chapter of Habitat for Humanity has set some ambitious goals for itself, according to what group Executive Director Grant Buenger told the Racine County Board in an informational update last week.
For one thing, the group hopes to build six new houses next year. In the recent past, the annual total was just three. “We are really proud of what we’ve done but we want to do more,” he said.
Buenger says Habitat also hopes to expand into western Racine County, increase the number of Black home buyers and do more to cluster its home building efforts in order to make a more noticeable impact on neighborhoods. Buenger cited a stretch of Mead St. where Habitat has built in recent years five homes on the same side of the block.
Another initiative is an exploration of ways in which Habitat on behalf of its clients can obtain low-cost mortgages for people who may qualify for a ‘Habitat’ home but would prefer to go out on their own and acquire a house.
Under the Habitat model, volunteers do most of the work in building the homes that are eventually sold to deserving families that agree to put in at least 300 hours of sweat equity.
At any given moment, Habitat in Racine is working with dozens of prospective homeowners who sit on a waiting list.
Even though Habitat can build homes for half the cost, they’re still not cheap: $150,000 to $175,000 is what the eventual buyers wind up paying through low-cost mortgages, according to Buenger.
Habitat funds its work in part through profits from its "Restore."
-0-