Home is the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic; it is where this unprecedented battle has been fought, and where it will be won. Most of us are fortunate to have a safe, welcoming, attainable home to help us weather these types of storms, but not everyone in our community has this luxury. It is sad to think that many of the people working to keep us safely in our homes are having trouble living in theirs: employees of your local gas stations or grocery stores, the janitorial staff or lab techs at your nearest hospital, farmers, teachers…… These essential members of society have been working hard to uphold our economy, and provide services that we all-too-often take for granted. When they go home at the end of a long day- attending to anxious patrons, strictly adhering to new protocols, and carrying the weight of this chaotic world on their shoulders- do they truly find refuge, or do their work-life stresses compound?

Consider having to make a choice between paying your rent/mortgage, replacing the transmission in your car so you can get to work, and feeding your family; which would you choose? At Habitat for Humanity, we provide our community with affordable housing because we believe that nobody should ever have to make these types of choices. Thankfully, this “affordable housing” designation allowed us to remain “essential” throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite all that has been going on in the world, we have continued to build a home, engage our community, and provide hope for a family in need. HOW AMAZING IS THAT?!

Our most recent project is on 8 Locust Grove Rd, in Saratoga Springs. In March, we cleared the trees from the lot, dug the well, excavated, and framed and poured the frost walls, for our foundation. Early April brought nicer weather, and better opportunity to pour the full foundation walls and slab. Since the basement of this house has 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, and a utility room, and is built into the side of a hill, the foundation is slightly more complex than houses we have done in the past. From April 14^th to the 22^nd, the entire house was framed and sheathed, while electrical lines, plumbing and HVAC, and the septic were installed. If you blinked, you might have missed it! We kicked off May with roofing, siding, and rough electrical installation, and finished strong with insulation, throughout. It is now June 1^st and our plans this week include: drywall mobilization, finishing up electrical service, installing the front porch deck, and preparing for the volunteer days to come.

This house has been especially nuanced for our affiliate because we were not able to integrate volunteers in the early building stages, per COVID-19 regulations. Although we dearly missed having our volunteers on site, keeping them safe was our first priority! Thankfully, we have recently been able to incorporate some volunteers back into the project, while following the state’s outlined COVID-19: Phase I precautions. We will continue to follow this model until all protocols are lifted.

We want to thank our volunteers, corporate partners and all of the local businesses who have continued to support us during this pandemic; because of you, we truly have an essential mission.