Habitat-NYC Winter 2008
N
Times
Vol. 25 No. 1
Clockwise, from the top left, nine new Habitat-NYC homes on Halsey Street, Cheryl Layne cuts the ribbon to her new home; Tonya Cooper and her children conduct their home blessing; the Harold family proudly displays their Habitat-NYC homeownership certificate.
Homes for the Holidays
Habitat-NYC dedicates nine new homes on Halsey Street “This has transformed me,” 18-yearold Anthony Gillespie described his experience with Habitat-NYC. Anthony’s family was one of the nine joy-filled families who dedicated their new Habitat-NYC homes on Halsey Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, in December. “I didn’t think this dream could be a possibility for me,” said Anthony’s mom, Jacqueline Harold, who works as an education assistant in the city’s public school system. “But with Habitat, it became a dream come true
for me and my family.” Homeownership wasn’t a dream that came easily for the nine Halsey families. Together, they put in about 4,500 hours of labor, digging out rubble, raising the walls, tiling the bathrooms and painting—to name only a few of the construction tasks they took on with enthusiasm and energy. And it was a dream built with the help of about 4,000 volunteers, who worked with the families as they built their own homes. The December dedication drew
families and their friends, volunteers, funders and community leaders. And although the celebration was held on a blustery cold day, all kept warm inside the new homes, thanks to the buildings’ well-insulated, “green” construction methods. These homes are among the first buildings in New York City constructed of very energy-efficient Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs). The homes also feature ENERGY STAR appliances and light fixtures, high-
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