Students to build Habitat for Humanity home
The third Habitat for Humanity home built in Anderson this year will involve students with the D26 program.
The house in the 2100 block of Fletcher Street will be constructed by the students in the D26 project and is being funded with $75,000 from the Anderson Community Development Department.
When completed, Kyle Morgan and his four children will live in the house. He is employed at the Geater Center.
“Right now, I’m renting from my dad,” Morgan said. “I’m ready to take the next step in my life, which is ownership.
“It’s phenomenal to know the community is giving back to me,” he added. “I always try to give back to the community.”
Morgan said he knows many of the students who will build the house, and that means a lot to him.
And, he said, “My children are very excited to have a family home."
Mark Seleyman, a construction trades instructor at D26, said the project is exciting and a great opportunity for the students.
“One of our students lives in a Habitat house,” he said. “He will help build a home for another family.”
Seleyman said the students will frame, do the carpentry work, heating and air conditioning work, install the roof, drywall and plumbing, plus paint the house.
“The students have been excited since last year,” he said. “I hope this is the first of many.”
Seleyman said the goal is to teach the students employable skills like being punctual and doing any task. He said he hopes the students can find jobs locally in the construction industry.
Dr. Joe Cronk, superintendent of Anderson Community Schools, said in the past that the program purchased properties and built houses for sale.
“This is one of the most exciting things I can think of this fall,” he said. “It will give the students real-world experience on a real-world project.”
Anderson Mayor Thomas J. Broderick Jr. said the Community Development Block Grant funds allow a partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
“It provides better housing at a moderate cost,” he said. “We can’t do this without working together. This uplifts the entire community.”
Julia Whitson, president of the Habitat for Humanity board, said the organization has built 70 homes in Anderson in the past.
She said normally two houses are constructed annually.
“This will be our third house this year,” she said. “We’re able to do more this year with the financial help of the city.
“There is a tremendous need,” Whitson added. “We have 130 families on the waiting list for the next home.”
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