A small crowd gathered Monday afternoon to break ground on two new Habitat for Humanity houses. (Photos by Amanda McFarland)

WARSAW — The Ratliff family and the Wagner family of Warsaw will soon be next door neighbors as Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County kicks off its latest community build project.

Monday afternoon, June 27, Habitat broke ground on both houses, which will soon begin to take shape. Present at the ceremony were members of both families, Habitat board members, local pastors and several supporters, including the Garry and Connie Himes, who donated the land.

The property had belonged to Gary’s great-great grandparents. His great-aunt inherited it from them and, when she passed, it was put up for auction. When it didn’t receive any bids, Gary, who wanted to keep the property in the family, bought it for around $1,300 and was going to use it to build duplexes. He later offered it to the city for a park, but they did not express interest, he said.

Not long ago, Habitat contacted the couple to see if they would be interested in donating the property for new houses. At first, they were not entirely sure what the organization was asking. After speaking with them again, however, they made the donation.

For one of the families, Lee and Gina Ratliff, this will mean the end of a cycle of moving and renting that has gone on several years, since an injury caused Lee to lose his well-paying job. To read the Ratliffs’ story, click here.

For the Wagner family, Andrea and son, Connor, their new house will mean an end to Andrea having to struggle to make ends meet. To read the Wagners’ story, click here.

Habitat does not simply give away the homes. Families are required to make a down payment and invest a certain number of hours of “sweat equity” into the construction of their homes. Additional information about the building process and requirements is available here.