Rebound

Actions

Habitat for Humanity of Jessamine County builds first new home in nearly ten years

Posted at 8:04 PM, Dec 23, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-23 20:09:57-05

JESSAMINE COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — As we get ready for a new year, one family is looking forward to moving into a new home in Nicholasville, thanks to Habitat for Humanity of Jessamine County.

"It's a beautiful family... a single mother with four children," said executive director Leanne Prout. "She has worked diligently to get to where she is today. Always been a renter."

It's also an exciting time for the organization because this is the first new home build in almost a decade.

"We knew that we were going to break ground this year. We had finally raised enough money to do so, and then when everything was shut down that put a little kink in everything," said Prout. "This summer, we decided to break ground no matter what."

Contracted workers are now about a week into building the house's foundation. Prout says there are still some challenges to navigate, like increased lumber costs and a lack of volunteers, but they're hopeful.

They also hope the project gives them a foundation to continue building new homes again.

"Our goal is to build a new house, a new home, probably every 18 to 24 months," said Prout. "It's such a long process with getting a homeowner and all the details that go into it. We are hoping this is just the start of something great."

Prout says they'll take a break once the foundation is finished and hope to start raising the walls in February. They plan to complete the home by summer.