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Battle Creek, MI 49017SHELLY KEHRLE-SULSER
Executive Editor
The City of Battle Creek and
Habitat for Humanity, along with
Michigan Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD), the
Chamber of Commerce and other
partners broke ground Tuesday on a
vacant North Woodlawn Avenue lot.
That’s where their combined efforts
will bring to fruition five new single-
family homes that will be available to
purchase at a reduced mortgage rate
thanks to the Habitat for Humanity
formula.
“We want to help build generation-
al wealth, stability and hope,” said
Battle Creek Habitat for Humanity
Executive Director Mike King. “The
community of Battle Creek and this
whole surrounding area is so support-
ing, it’s just amazing.”
The houses will join a sixth,
1,200-square-foot home recently
completed by Habitat volunteers next
door on North Cedar Avenue that
will be purchased by Chenise Brown.
Habitat purchased the lot on thecorner of Michigan and Cedar
through the county tax foreclosure
sale and then split the lot where
ground was broken last September
for the most recently completed
home.
The next home will be built next
door for buyer Jaylen Gray while
another will be on North Woodlawn
and three will be on West Spaulding.
“I am 22 years old,” said Gray to
the small crowd huddled under cano-
pies during the rainy event. “I will be
23 this year so I have the opportunity
because of Mike and all of the other
people here to be a homeowner at 23
years old next year. I’m very excited.
I’m close to 100 hours here. They
work in the rain. They work in the
snow, they work in the heat so this is
what they are out here doing.”
Gray also congratulated Brown on
her new home.
“We plan to start this corner within
two weeks, hopefully,” said King
after the groundbreaking ceremony
at 25 N. Woodlawn Tuesday. “We
would like to have tree houses goingCity, Habitat for Humanity break ground on five new homes
Jaylen Gray at the age of 22 is thrilled
to be the buyer of the next Habitat
for Humanity home to be built near
25 North Woodlawn Avenue in Battle
Creek when it is ready next year. She
plans to put in 100 hours of sweat
equity on the project. (Shopper News photo
by Shelly Kehrle-Sulser)by winter. That’s the plan.”
The property, which was previ-
ously occupied by Community
Missionary Baptist Church before
it was destroyed by a 2015 fire, has
been split into four 80x100 foot lots
for each of the houses, said King.
The homes will be built mostly by
Habitat for Humanity volunteers with
help from professional plumbers,
electricians, excavators and heating
and cooling firms.
“Otherwise, it’s pretty much all
volunteer,” said King.
Participating in the groundbreak-
ing ceremony was Habitat Michigan
President John Williams, Battle
Creek Mayor Mark Behnke, Field
Office Director Keith Hernandez
with Michigan Department of
Housing and Urban Development
Field which is funding at least
two of the homes, as well as City
Commissioner Roger Ballard and
Board Chairman Scott Avery.
Also participating was Chamber of
Commerce President Kara Beer and
Chamber Ambassadors, HUD staff,city staff, Habitat for Humanity staff,
board members, past board members
and volunteers.
“It’s always wonderful when
we can develop new homes,” said
Battle Creek Community Foundation
President and CEO Mary Muliett.
“We need homes in Battle Creek and
the surrounding areas and we need
all levels of homes so for Habitat to
come behind this and really support
home ownership the way they do for
our community, it’s a very exciting
time, it’s exciting to be a part of it.”
It’s been many years, said King,
since Battle Creek Habitat for
Humanity took on such a large-scale
project.
In the past 10 years or so, the orga-
nization has mainly been rehabbing
existing homes to sell to qualified
buyers at reduced cost.
“Years ago, we did Helen
Montgomery where there were 12
or 13 houses done over time,” said
King. “And on Jackson Street, there
were approximately five houses that
were built there. Truthfully, it’s sim-
pler for us to have multiple houses
going at one time so some of it’s self
centered but it’s easier for me.”
In fact, three families are already in
line to get houses.
“We’re starting to fall behind in
terms of, we need to get building
quickly here,” he said, “because
there’s a demand.”
Some of the financing is also
provided by the State of Michigan
which two years ago committed $
million to Habitat for Humanity
Michigan to provide housing, said
Williams.
“What is being done today is to
help people realize the American
dream,” he said. “And I say home-
ownership with a mortgage because
one of the misnomers about Habitat
is that we just give homes away. We
do not give homes away. We give
people a hand up, an opportunity for
individuals to become home own-
ers.”
Part of the $10 million grant is
being used to make the down pay-
ment on one of the new Battle Creek
homes, he said.See HABITAT on 3