It’s hot outside, but that’s not stopping volunteers from across the country to come to South Bend to build houses. It’s with Habitat for Humanity and right now, Notre Dame alumni, friends, and family, are building two houses in the 700 block of North Turnock Street in Northeast South Bend.
It’s part of the Notre Dame Alumni Association’s annual Family Volunteer Camp. Notre Dame says that it’s part of an effort to preserve access to affordable housing.
Avery Cooper, 16, and Kristen Cooper are a mother daughter duo from North Carolina, who made there way to Michiana with Notre Dame alum, Christopher Cooper. Kristen Cooper
says that she is here with her family to help the community, “we’re very grateful to help these families build there homes,” she says, “and to give a little bit back to the community that was so good to my husband.”
The houses were designed by Notre Dame students, with John Mellor, Associate Professor in the School of Architecture at Notre Dame, leading the way, “I give them some parameters, they have to provide a design that’s either two or three bedrooms and the certain requirements for Habitat for Humanity,” he says there aren’t a lot of restrictions, “they’re very good at trying to provide housing that is affordable, trying to design something that is constructible, knowing that volunteers are going to be putting it together.”
After the designing comes the building. Jim Williams, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County is happy with this years partnership, “it’s just beautiful how this whole thing is coming together. There are so many facets of the University that are coming together.”
The University of Notre Dame donated the land that Habitat for Humanity is building the houses on. They also gave $250,000 which evens out to $50,000 per year for five years, to build new homes. The Notre Dame Student Association also made a contribution, says Williams, “$80,000 this year to help make this happen.”
A local man is building the house that he’s going to live in. Gregory Deberry, 39, was born and raised in South Bend. He says that it’s a surreal moment, “I can’t be more thankful… it means a lot to me.”
He has two teenage daughters and he’s volunteering his time to build a house for himself and his new neighbor. Deberry says, “I stress to my daughters a lot about the importance of owning things.”
The other person receiving one of the two house has a connection with Notre Dame, says Williams, “we actually have a Notre Dame employee who qualified for Habitat Houseing. He works in the facility services department.”
Williams says that the volunteers are wager to help, “we have a good problem, we have a lot of volunteers that want to come out on this build site.”
Deberry and his neighbor will be able to move into their new homes in a few months. Williams says it’ll be just in time for the holiday season, “they’ll be in the homes by Christmas.”
You can find out more about the Habitat for Humanity of St Joseph County here.
