Habitat for Humanity Homes Almost Ready for Families

The construction of Lakewood’s first two Habitat for Humanity homes is almost finished.

The homes will be ready for families within the next couple of months.

However, these aren’t your mother’s Habitat for Humanity homes. Both of the new Habitat homes are energy efficient and built with materials that “blend in” with their respective neighborhoods.

Construction of the home at 2070 Dowd Avenue — the same address of a home deemed a “persistent blight” and demolished in 2009 — began first, in June.

With the exterior of the home finished, it’s the closet to completion. The only things left on the punch-list are the finishing touches. 

The project at 1549 Lakewood Avenue began in August. The home, sitting at the corner of Lakewood Avenue and Franklin Boulevard, sits at the site of a former apartment complex deemed a “nuisance” by the city and demolished in August 2011.

The completion of that project is expected to be finished within the next couple months.

“These are fantastic,” said Dru Siley, the city’s director of building and housing. “The Birdtown house fits into the neighborhood. The new house on Lakewood Avenue is such a radical change from what was there — which was vacant and abandoned row-house apartments.”

“Habitat has been a pleasure to work with on these projects.”