Habitat for Humanity - St. Theresa Place

Habitat for Humanity:

St. Theresa By Sr. Jane Michele McClure, OSB ‘67 Place Habitat for Humanity of Evansville When two anonymous donors stepped broke ground August 10, 2020 on St. forward to fund the purchase of the Theresa Place, a 14-home, single-fam- property’s east side and the costs of ily subdivision which will be built additional infrastructure, Habitat was on the city’s north side in the Dia- ready to build the new subdivision. mond-Stringtown Neighborhood. After the church and school buildings were razed in early 2019, the west side of the property — bounded by Stringtown, Herndon, Wedeking and Evans — became home to the new headquarters of Catholic Charities, the social service ministry of the Catholic diocese. The new Catholic Charities building is now occupied and a formal blessing and dedication is scheduled for September 15. “Habitat can have more of an impact The new subdivision will be located when we build in concentration, with on the site of the former St. There- multiple new homes in close physical sa Catholic Parish, which for 70 years proximity,” said Beth Folz, Habitat’s served generations of Catholics who executive director. “When the opporworshipped at the church and educated tunity arose to build on property which their children at the parish school. is essentially holy ground, blessed by “It will be great to see new families in a worshipping community, we were eathe neighborhood, using the Stringtown ger to pursue it. We had worked closeLibrary, walking to an Otters game, hav- ly with Catholic Charities in the past, ing a cookout in Garvin Park and swim- especially through their Neighbor to ming at the Deaconess Aquatic Center,” Neighbor and Handy Helpers programs, said Mayor Lloyd Winnecke in remarks and look forward to even closer colpreceding the blessing of the property laboration as we work together to help by Bishop Joseph Siegel of the Diocese working families with skin in the game of Evansville. become self-sufficient.”

many decades of the faithful presence of 24

In early 2020 a St. Theresa Place Advisory Council began to meet to hear more about the project and to give input as the idea of a subdivision on the site of former church property progressed.

The Council, composed of 34 former St. Theresa parishioners and graduates, community leaders and neighborhood

champions, quickly embraced the idea of preserving the legacy of St. Theresa Parish by inviting the entire community to get involved with building St. Theresa Place and to “experience the timeless truth that what seems like death always brings forth new life,” as one Council member remarked.

Under the leadership of Father Ted Tempel, retired priest of the diocese and pastor of St. Theresa from 1979 – 1993, the Council is also raising funds to help Habitat build. Over $1.12 million is needed for house construction, and Father Ted announced at the groundbreaking that over $650,000 is in hand or committed for the project. A gift to Habitat for Humanity from the estate of Catherine Walter Groben, a longtime Catholic donor, will also benefit the project.

Construction will begin within the next few months and with hopeful completion of the subdivision by fall of 2021. Like all non-profits in the Evansville area, COVID compliance has hampered Habitat’s efforts to have multiple groups of community volunteers on its construction sites. Habitat’s Core Crew (regular volunteers who work Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays) came back in mid-June with ample safety precautions and procedures in place.

“Habitat’s reliance on volunteer labor cannot be overestimated,” said Patrick Landry, Habitat’s construction director. “The Core Crew saves us $15,000 per home and we are always actively recruiting new Core Crew members. Their experience and dedication and their positive interaction with future Habitat homeowners working on sweat equity is invaluable.”

The 14 families who will live in St. Theresa Place are or will be approved for homeownership on the basis of need, ability to pay an affordable mortgage and willingness to partner (300 hours of sweat equity and successful completion of Habitat’s Money Management Seminar and 6 other required homeownership preparation classes). Homeowners pay a 25-year, no-interest mortgage back to Habitat which, in turn, funds all Habitat operations. Every dollar given to Habitat for Humanity goes directly to building homes and helping families grow wealth and become self-sufficient through homeownership.