Six brand new homes will be built in Hartford’s northeast end on vacant lots.
Habitat for Humanity of North Central Connecticut (HFHNCC) held a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday morning to kick off construction.
The plan is to build four single-family homes on Clark, Capen, Westland and Nelson streets, as well as a duplex on Barbour Street.
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Habitat for Humanity leaders said projects like this are about more than just adding new homes.
“There’s a pride of homeownership that changes a neighborhood,” said Karraine Moody, the CEO of HFHNCC. “The homeowners are the glue that sticks it together. They become active, they work with their neighbors, they take pride so then they make sure everything else around them looks good and make sure it maintains its value and it’s a safe place. We found over the past 30 plus years that our home ownerships are the anchor that keep the neighborhood together.”
Habitat for Humanity previously developed more than 340 homes in Hartford, specifically 150 Hartford’s northeast neighborhood.
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They already identified all six new homeowners for these projects and will work with them to make sure they’re prepared to pay a 30-year mortgage.
“The biggest part for us is can you afford the home because it is a mortgage? It’s not a free home. So, can you afford it? Do you have the work ethic to do 150 hours of sweat equity and are you willing to partner? Are you going to bring the mission forward within this neighborhood? So that’s how we select our families,” Moody said.
The city of Hartford donated the vacant lots to Habitat for Humanity. Habitat plans to begin framing the homes in its warehouse and then start construction on the vacant lots in Spring 2023.
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