Melvin Pouch, a member of Warsaw Area Career Center’s building trades class uses a table saw. Members of the class are currently working on a home for Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County. The students are building the exterior and interior walls of the home. Photo provided by Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County.

By Lauren Zeugner
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — When ground was broken for Brianna Adams and her family’s new Habitat for Humanity home last month, it was the start of a new partnership between Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County and the builders trades program at the Warsaw Area Career Center.

Ben Logan, executive director of Habitat for Humanity, explained the chapter has been in Kosciusko County since 1991. It has worked on and off through the years with students in the building trades program at both Warsaw Community High School and Tippecanoe Valley High School.

In those instances, the students usually came out to assist where some younger stronger bodies were needed to do some heavy lifting.

For this build, which is on land donated by the Salvation Army, Logan and Andrea Miller, a building trades teacher at the WACC and Habitat volunteer, connected. Miller, who served as a supervisor on a recent Women’s Build Habitat project, wanted to get her students involved.

“It’s a very natural fit. We’re very excited to have a more formal relationship,” Logan said. “We’re also a member of the local builders association (Builders Association of North Central Indiana) and are passionate about building trades students being involved.”

“They’re just excited to be building a house from the start, to put some of the skills they’ve been practicing into play,” Miller said. “Our students working on a home that may be more realistic for them in the future.”

Ground was broken on the new home in October and excavation of the property is underway. Meanwhile, the builder trades students have been hard at work working with two construction staff members from Habitat.

Logan explained the students are doing something similar to the panel build Habitat did with Wildman earlier this year. During that build, Habitat brought all the pre-cut materials to the location and volunteers put the walls together in the parking lot.

“We’re doing a very similar process,” Logan said. “We’re going to do the walls in sections so when the site is ready, we can go.”

The construction team has worked with them every afternoon.

Brianna Adams and her sons, Jy’el, left and Jyon, are shown at the ground breaking of their new home, which is being built by Habitat for Humanity and members of the Warsaw Area Career Center builders trades class.
The family’s new home is expected to be completed in the spring of 2025. Photo provided by Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County.

“They’ll actually be building the walls offsite. They’re going to be working on this house two hours an afternoon as part of their curriculum,” Logan said.

During most Habitat builds, most of the work is done in the morning and the kids will be working from 1-3 p.m., so he’s “excited to have a longer build time.”

Logan explained the students in the building trades class focus on general construction, although with this build they may have an opportunity to learn about electrical work since one of the construction staff working with them is a licensed electrician.

The students will be able to do all the exterior and interior walls. Professionals will handle constructing the trusses and door headers and the plumbing, electrical, HAVC and roofing. The students will assist in installing the dry wall, but not doing the mudding.

“Construction is a huge puzzle piece … you have to foresee 10 steps down the road. This is probably the best way for the kids to learn,” Logan said. “It also provides the students with an opportunity to work with a local contractor and see what they do.”

With a few holiday breaks and Mother Nature playing a role, Logan said he wasn’t sure how fast the construction of the Adams’ house would go. Dedication on the house is slated for spring 2025.

Logan said the building trades staff is excited, the students are excited and enthusiastic because they feel they are helping someone in the community.

Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko builds five to six homes a year. The organization works with low income families who put in 250 sweat-equity hours, save a 1% down payment, go through literacy courses to purchase a home with a low-percentage mortgage. The process takes about 18 months to complete.

Habitat for Humanity is looking for financial support from the community to continue these opportunities. To donate online visit habitatforhumanityofkosciuskocounty-bloom.kindful.com.

Checks may be sent to Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County, P.O. Box 1913, Warsaw, IN 46581.