The Montgomery County Commission heard a progress report from Habitat for Humanity Montgomery Executive Director Susan Johnson at their March 17 meeting.
Johnson said HFH was awarded $300,000 in American Rescue Plan ACT or ARPA funds in October 2024 for construction of homes for those in need. A groundbreaking was held on Dec. 11.
But there’s more to helping out than taking part in building houses, she said.
“Our motto has been ‘You don’t need to lift a hammer to help,’” she told the commission. “Because people can actually do other things like tape and mud. They can donate. There’s all kinds of things that people can do. They can help us write letters to be able to help with this affordable housing.”
The construction took place at New Hope Village on Millard Fullard Drive. Johnson pointed out that Millard Fuller was a native of Alabama who co-founded HFH.
During the course of construction there were numerous volunteers, including Montgomery County Sheriff Derrick Cunningham, who led a build day event with the department. Others that took part in build day events were the U.S. Air Force Senior NCO Academy at Maxwell Air Force Base and the U.S. Air Force Squadron Officer School, as well as members of the county commission.
“We try to be as volunteer-heavy as possible,” she said.
In order to be eligible for a home, potential owners have to demonstrate a need for one, a willingness to partner with HFH and be able to pay the mortgage. Johnson explained that a partnership means putting in at least 200 hours of “sweat equity” or help in construction, and 50% of the hours can be performed by families, church members and others.
A dedication of the completed homes will be held in the future, she said. Commissioner Isiah Sankey expressed his appreciation.
“Housing is so important,” he said. “Safe, stable, healthy housing is critical. It impacts your physical, your mental well-being.”
The Montgomery County Commission meets on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 101 South Lawrence Street. Information sessions begin at 10 a.m. followed by the formal meeting.
Livestreamed meetings can be seen on the commission’s YouTube and Facebook pages.
Agendas with additional details can be found at the commission’s documents section of the website.
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