Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Georgia broke ground Sunday in Clarkesville with their partner family, the Hensons. The home is the 78th house built by the local Habitat for Humanity. However, according to the nonprofit’s Northeast Georgia chapter president Rex Wade, this house is not another number; it is referred to as the Henson family home.
The Henson family, volunteers, and friends gathered on December 17 at the home site in Clarkesville to celebrate the groundbreaking. Unfortunately, no shovels were available to “break” ground; they were being used at another home site being built in White County.
New home on Carriage Lane
The Henson family home will be located on Carriage Lane off of Salome Drive.
Originally from the Columbus, Georgia, area, the Hensons moved to Northeast Georgia approximately four years ago. They currently reside outside of Cleveland in neighboring White County.
Jennifer Henson explained that they are a single-income family with her husband Matthew being a hospice chaplain and she is a homeschooling mom. She adds that this is something they want to do that is best for their children.
“It’s one of those things where you hope to be a homeowner someday,” she said.
Clearing for construction
Habitat for Humanity will not begin clearing the lot until after the holidays and anticipates construction won’t begin until the end of January or the first part of February. According to Wade, once they get started on the project, it takes approximately four months to complete. The Henson family expects to move into the new home sometime in June.
The Hensons, as with any partner family, must “invest” in the home with “sweat equity” during the building process. According to Wade, the partner family doesn’t have to have home-building experience but has to volunteer several hours in the home-building process. One reason is to teach the new homeowner basic home maintenance skills. It also gives the new homeowner pride in achieving a goal and seeing a project through from start to finish.
