Habitat for Humanity has obtained, through a generous anonymous donation, a distressed property in need of rehabilitation. This property, a Victorian style home built in 1884 located at 385 Broad Street, New London, has been unoccupied for years but now represents a perfect opportunity for Habitat to participate in helping the City of New London take one step closer toward its goal of neighborhood revitalization.

The family who will benefit directly from this home recovery is Richard and Tammy  and their five young sons, ages 3 to 10. They will participate along with Habitat volunteers in restoring this old, run down relic into a vibrant home filled with love and laughter. And in the true spirit of community involvement that HFH is known for, HFHSECT is pleased to have the majority of the work on the Broad Street house be performed through its Women Build program.

The Women Build program was established by Habitat for Humanity International to encourage the involvement of women in the construction of Habitat homes. Women crews have already built more than 450 Habitat for Humanity houses within the United States. Women Build projects provide an environment in which women can feel comfortable learning skills they might not otherwise have the opportunity to learn. Women Build is not about excluding men; it is about including women. The Women Build program enables women to discover for themselves that they can build Habitat homes.

Women make up 50 percent of Habitat’s volunteer force; yet often because of lack of training, they account for less than 15 percent of workers on the construction site. Nationally, more than 60 percent of Habitat for Humanity’s houses are built with women heads of household. These women are often dependent upon the goodwill of neighbors, friends and relatives for even minor repairs. By receiving training as part of the build, they are better equipped to maintain their homes and, consequently, are more confident in their ability to cope with day-to-day situations.

Richard and Tammy are a married couple and parents to 5 boys. Gregory is 10, Collin is 9, Noah is 7, Aiden is 4, and Gabriel is 2. Richard works full time as a cable installer for Comcast Cable and has worked there for nearly 7 years. Tammy works part time as a pharmacy technician at Wal Mart and has worked there off an on for the past several years. Richard and Tammy applied to become Habitat homeowners after they tried several times to get conventional mortgage financing. Being homeowners is important to them because they feel the need to provide a safe, stable, affordable home for their children. They would like to be able to share with their children the comfort of being together as a family in their own home. They are currently renting a very small 3 bedroom in-law apartment. Their current apartment has cracking ceilings, horse hair plaster walls that are crumbling, has no tub, and a moldy bathroom. Two of their children are suffering adverse health effects from the deteriorating housing conditions.