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Local leaders see impact of the work of Harford Habitat and Harford Family House Jack McLaughlin ,
In May, 20 community leaders looked at some of the Habitat homes on the “Get On The Bus” tour. Some of the homes were former drug dens, some rehabs of neighborhood eyesores and some new construction. Tour participants walked through one Habitat home and saw ten others in the Aberdeen area. They also toured an apartment at Harford Family House. Harford Habitat Executive Director Joann Blewett and her counter part at Harford Family House shared stories about the facilities they serve and information about their programs. The buses used for the tour were donated by John Carroll High School. Will Nori, Vice President of Clark Turner Signature Homes, opened the residents’ center at the Residences of Bulle Rock, where tour participants got refreshments and a look at the facilities. For information about the next tour, which is scheduled for Nov. 12, call 410-273-6700 or 410-638-4434. One of the projects Habitat has undertaken, with the Help of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, is the building of a home for the Brown family on Holloway Lane in Aberdeen.Thrivent Financial is a non-profit organization, founded more than 100 years ago that provides financial services including life and disability income insurance, annuities, mutual funds and bank products. Three years ago Thrivent and Habitat for Humanity International joined in a four year, $125 million program to build hundreds of homes across the country, promote short term Habitat home building trips abroad and provided large grants to improve substandard housing in specific neighborhoods. The Browns’ house is the third Thrivent Build Home in Harford County. Thrivent Financial has underwritten a substantial part of the cost. Support also has been received from the local Thrivent chapter and Lutheran churches in Harford County. During the week of June 2 three homes were built in Havre de Grace through a joint effort on the national level, called Habitat for Humanity Home Builders Blitz 2008, in which professional homebuilders across the United States took part. Harford County Pulte Homes-Mid Atlantic Division built three town homes in Bradford Green in Havre de Grace. Rob Manns, who works for Edmeades & Stromdahl in Bel Air, donated his services to design the townhouses, which have an area of approximately 1,600 sq. ft. each. Two have three bedrooms and one four bedrooms. Most Habitat homes are detached single-family houses. However, the size of the lots on Village Drive in Havre de Grace dictated construction of townhouses. The rest of the homes in the development are townhouses. Habitat for Humanity International is a Christian ministry founded in 1976 in Americus, GA by Millard and Linda Fuller. Harford Habitat for Humanity was incorporated in 1993. Its projects are accomplished through the use of volunteer labor, donated materials and monetary support from private sources. Homes are sold to applicants who have demonstrated a need for housing at no interest. Applicants must make a down payment and meet monthly payments. They also most invest “sweat equity” for 250 hours for single applicant families and 500 hours for two applicant families in their homes or other Habitat projects. For more information, contact Harford Habitat for Humanity at 205 Hays Street, Bel Air, MD, 21014, 410-638-4434 or www.harfordhabitat.org. |
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