Grantee: Florida Concrete Masonry Education Council
Principle Investigator: Jim Painter
Year: 2021
Project Number: 2021.019
Status: IN PROGRESS
Past severe weather seasons have showcased the superiority of concrete block homes in minimizing damage to homes, reducing injuries, and saving lives. This is all the more critical for homes constructed through Habitat for Humanity
Background:
Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in approximately 70 countries. Habitat’s vision is of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
Habitat for Humanity works toward its vision by building strength, stability and self-reliance in partnership with families in need of decent and affordable housing. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. The programs of Habitat for Humanity Lake-Sumter, Florida are specifically designed to meet the needs of its local communities and will continue to evolve with them.
This project will address the increased need for trained and qualified brick and block masons and the need to build affordable, sustainable, resilient, and safe homes. Florida is known for hurricanes, but tornadoes are also a serious threat.
Program Details:
This project will help to fund the construction of a Habitat for Humanity home in the ‘Cottages at Heritage Grove’ development in Taveras, Florida. Learning from craft professionals, masonry pre-apprentice and apprenticeship students from Lake, Sumter, and Marion counties will assist with and learn from the construction of this concrete block home. Over the next few years, Habitat of Lake-Sumter is planning to build twenty-three 720 square foot cottages in the ‘Cottages at Heritage Grove’ development in Taveras, Florida. This project will help to showcase the ability of concrete masonry to meet the needs of Habitat for Humanity.
In addition to the home constructed, a series of promotional videos will be developed. The videos can be used for industry recruiting efforts and showcasing the need and ability to support Habitat for Humanity’s mission in the United States to build affordable housing. To ensure an even ‘safer’ home, the plans call for the construction of ‘safe room’ that meets FEMA standards.