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Habitat for Humanity breaks ground on 83rd house
Lenny, Judy, Shaeonna and Keosha Jackson attend the groundbreaking ceremony for their new Habitat for Humanity house on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012, in Huntington.
Purchase this photoHUNTINGTON -- Huntington Area Habitat for Humanity broke ground Sunday on its 83rd home.
The build site, located at 1259 Jefferson Ave., will be the home of Judy Jackson and her three kids. And it couldn't come at a better time for Jackson, whose family will be expanding because her daughter is pregnant.
"This means a lot," a bashful Jackson said before the groundbreaking ceremony. "It's a dream come true, basically, to not have to rent anymore and move into something I can call my own."
The house is being built in partnership with six downtown churches, including Central Christian Church, Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church, First Methodist Church, Trinity Episcopal Church and First Presbyterian Church. Construction on the house will start Tuesday, Nov. 20, and is expected to be completed in the spring, said David Michael, executive director of Huntington Area Habitat for Humanity.
It is the third house the downtown churches will have built in Michael's six-plus years as executive director, he said.
"It is critically important to have this long-term relationship, because it benefits both parties," Michael said. "It provides Habitat with finances and volunteers and for the churches, many of them are mission-focused, so this provides them with a mission in their own backyard."
Monty Fulton, a representative for First Presbyterian Church, said the Habitat build gives the downtown churches an opportunity to work together.
"It's a program where we can join forces, regardless of denomination, and provide a home for a member of our community," he said.
