Habitat to dedicate 3 homes

FINDLAY — Habitat for Humanity of Findlay-Hancock County will officially finish construction of three homes during a home dedication ceremony for all three homes at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 1700 block of Bishop Lane. The event is open to the public. The program for the dedication will include a blessing, words from Dream Builder Society members as well as the new homeowners, comments from Wendy McCormick, executive director, Habitat for Humanity of Findlay-Hancock County, and Kelly Croy, Habitat's board president. Following the ceremony, homeowners will cut ribbons and enter their new homes for the first time. Guests are welcome to then tour the homes. These are the first three of six homes to be built by Habitat for Humanity of Findlay-Hancock County in 2025. They are the third, fourth and fifth of 20 homes Habitat will build in the Krystal Ridge Addition neighborhood by the end of 2027. The first two homes were built in the fall of 2024. "This year we are celebrating 25 years of building community in Findlay and Hancock County, and we can't be more excited," said McCormick in a news release. "We can't wait to celebrate the completion of the first three homes of our biggest build year yet to close the gap on the affordable housing shortage in our community." Kara Summers and her two daughters will reside in Home #62. For them, the idea of "home" once felt more like a wish than a certainty. Summers works as a State Tested Nursing Assistant, caring for others even as she dreams of becoming a nurse herself. Despite her determination, life has thrown its share of obstacles her way. Housing in Findlay was either too expensive or simply unavailable. One afternoon, she came across a newspaper article about Habitat for Humanity's Financial Opportunity Center. Something about the program resonated with her, and Summers became the first FOC coaching client in 2021. After paying down debts and stabilizing her employment, Summers and her girls were selected as a Habitat partner family. Amanda Gault and her 12-year-old daughter will reside in Home #63. For the past seven years they have lived in the basement of Gault's parents' home. The houses she could afford to purchase needed significant repairs — more than she could afford. Her mom had been urging her to look into Habitat for quite some time. Finally, in January 2024, Gault took a leap of faith. From that first meeting with Habitat, Gault began to feel hope again. She learned how to manage her spending with guidance from the FOC and began to feel more in control of their future. Home #64 will be the residence of Chris Greiner. Born and raised in Findlay, her life has been anything but easy, but her heart has always been full of hope, determination and an unbreakable drive to create a better life for her family. She raised her twin children as a single parent, always working full-time — sometimes even holding down two jobs just to make ends meet. Despite the challenges, Greiner made sure that her kids had everything they needed: food, shelter and love. She spent years working hard, and now, after many setbacks, Greiner finally has a home of her own. During the past 10 weeks, the three new homeowners have worked alongside more than 600 volunteers to build their homes. They each qualified as a low-income family unable to qualify for a conventional loan but willing to partner with Habitat and complete at least 400 sweat equity hours and purchase their home from the agency through a 30-year low-interest mortgage. Two of the spring homes are Signature Homes, which were financed by the donors who bought a "piece of the house" during Habitat's 2024 signature fundraiser. Through donations of money, materials and volunteer labor, Habitat is able to build a Habitat Home and sell it at an affordable price. Major sponsors for the spring build include ADP, the City of Findlay, GSW, Kershner Excavating, Kreate, Marathon, McNaughton-McKay, National Lime & Stone, Ohio Logistics, The Reinhart Foundation, The Shelly Company, State Farm — Dan Maciejewski, Van Horn Hoover & Associates and Whirlpool. Families seeking to become homeowners in the Krystal Ridge Addition can apply with Habitat by visiting habitatfindlay.org or calling 419-429-1400.