(From Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County)

Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County will officially break ground on its first neighborhood of 20 homes at 9:00 am on Wednesday, June 26.

The groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Bishop Lane in the Krystal Ridge Addition neighborhood, located on the north end of Findlay near the intersection of East Melrose and Crystal Avenues. The ceremony is open to the public.

The program for the ceremony will include remarks from Mayor Christina Muryn; representatives from the Koehler family who, along with the Croy family, are partnering with Habitat to build the neighborhood; Wendy McCormick, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County; and Kelly Croy, Habitat’s Board President; and other invited guests. Following the ceremony, Kershner Excavating will begin installing the foundation for both homes.

Currently four Habitat homes exist in the Krystal Ridge Addition neighborhood. The first two of the 20 homes Habitat will construct by the end of 2027 are homes #60 and #61 which will be built between July and September for the McMaster and Butler families. This effort emulates similar Habitat neighborhoods developed in other communities across the United States.

Funding from a variety of sources has enabled Habitat to commence the initial phase of construction. Sources include grant funding from Habitat for Humanity of Ohio which was awarded a $25 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending package that was signed into law by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine in 2023, a gift from Jane and Gary Heminger, the Whirlpool BuildBetter Grant, Marathon Petroleum Corporation, The Larson Family, Signature Event donors, and other supporters. Habitat will continue to seek funding to construct the balance of the homes through 2027.

“We are excited about the impact this neighborhood will have in reducing the current affordable housing deficit we have in our community,” says Wendy McCormick, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County. “The most recent housing study released earlier this year indicated the Findlay community needs 150 single-family homes, costing less than $200,000, constructed during the next five years.”