Published: March 30, 2011
Habitat for Humanity Chapter Helps Build Dream House in Bridgeport
The dream is coming true, not only for a deserving family, but also for the hard working group of students that have helped to make it a reality.
On Friday, the 18th of March, construction began on a three-bedroom home at a once debris-filled corner lot at 554 Jane Street in Bridgeport, CT. The construction was made possible by the collaborative efforts of Sacred Heart University's Habitat for Humanity campus chapter, Youth United of Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County and grants and considerations from the university, city organizations and corporate sponsors.
Kelly Leather, co-fundraising chair for the Habitat campus chapter, provided background about the project and how it came to fruition.
Sacred Heart University student Siobhan Canavan '11 of Drexel Hills, PA, works on the Habitat for Humanity house at 554 Jane Street in Bridgeport. In back is Leah Richards '11 of Woburn, MA.
Photo by Tracy Deer-Mirek |
"We broke ground back in December but due to snow, the excavation was postponed," she said. "It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that the foundation was poured. In the meantime, we constructed walls in Habitat's warehouse on Barnum Avenue, so when we arrived onsite with our crew, we were prepared and ready to go."
Leather said the city of Bridgeport sold the lot to Habitat for one dollar and that the new home will stand beside another Habitat-built house. In terms of key features, besides the three bedrooms, the home will have two stories, an open dining room that will flow into a living room and two bathrooms.
Leather said the immediate neighborhood is dynamic. "I've worked in Bridgeport for the past four years and in this area I see so much hope and life," she said. "And residents have embraced our presence. A random passerby this morning thanked us for our efforts. I think they appreciate our work here."
According to Leather, there are 12-15 crew members working on the project onsite at any given time. "Volunteers are drawn from our campus club of over 300 members," she said. "They are all students ranging from freshmen to seniors. On the job site, the participating students can sign up for any building task they want and are guided by construction supervisors from Habitat."
With regard to the campus' Habitat club, Leather said it has existed for over a dozen years and "is a way for students to make a difference in local communities by helping to provide decent places that people can call home."
Leather said a family has already been selected for this particular home - a couple and their four children. She explained the criteria used to determine a family's qualifications for homeownership as being three-part: homeowners must qualify financially to be able to satisfy their mortgage payments, partner in terms of "sweat equity" contributions working on their own homes as well as other homes and have a need for housing. Leather said, most times, homeowners that receive Habitat help are currently living in conditions that have been determined to be inadequate for their families.
Leather noted that the cost of building a house in Bridgeport is $175,000. To that end, she said, "Youth United was successful in obtaining a $10,000 grant from State Farm, Habitat received a grant from a neighborhood stabilization program of $75,000 and our campus chapter contributed $13,500. We also received an in-kind contribution of $12,000from the University for plumbing and electrical work, as well as additional funds from Habitat. Of course, getting the lot for a $1 also saved us $25,000."
The project has been the culmination of much hard work. "The club has been fundraising for a number of years," Leather said. "To see the walls actually being raised has been a dream come true. It's hard to put in words how we feel about it. I sent a photo from the job site to my fellow co-chair who replied 'Perfect, and full heart.' We feel that we've fully been able to fully give what we've always wanted to give to the city of Bridgeport and that four children are going to live in a home of their dreams, experiencing the same fortune as so many of us have."
About Sacred Heart University
Sacred Heart University, the second-largest Catholic university in New England, offers more than 40 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs on its main campus in Fairfield, Connecticut, and satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland. More than 6,000 students attend the University's four colleges: Arts & Sciences; Education & Health Professions; University College; and the AACSB-accredited John F. (Jack) Welch College of Business. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its guides "Best 373 Colleges: 2011," "Best in the Northeast" and "Best 300 Business Schools: 2011." U.S. News & World Report ranks SHU among the best master's universities in the North in its annual "America's Best Colleges" publication. As one of just 23 institutions nationally, SHU is a member of the Association of American Colleges & Universities' (AAC&U) Core Commitments Leadership Consortium, in recognition of its core, "The Human Journey." SHU fields 31 division I athletic teams, and has an award-winning program of community service.
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