Habitat breaks ground for new home

Seeking Marshall homeowner applicants

MARSHALL -- It was the first step toward a new home for a Lyon County family.

On Monday, local officials and contractors gathered to break ground for a Habitat for Humanity house in Marshall. Ground work for a new home on Brussels Court is planned to start later this week, said Kayla Klein, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of West Central Minnesota.

"Right now, it's just an empty lot. But with some time and labor, it'll be transformed," Klein said.

"Our mission at Habitat is to make sure that everybody has a decent place to live," said Tami Dorenkamper, partnership manager with Habitat for Humanity of West Central Minnesota. "This is exciting, to get this going."

Construction of the new house is something that has been three years in the making, Dorenkamper said.

The Habitat build in Marshall currently doesn't have a family lined up to live in it, Klein said. Habitat for Humanity will be accepting applications for homeowners that meet income, county residency and other requirements.

Klein said getting started on a new Habitat house is something that takes many hours of work and dedication. Habitat of West Central Minnesota is committed to building one home per year in Lyon County, she said.

Building a new home isn't possible without teamwork from Habitat, volunteers and community partners. Local contractors will play a key role in getting the new home built, said Zac Albert, construction manager with Habitat for Humanity of West Central Minnesota. Albert said Habitat wanted to give special thanks to partners including Action Company, Coequyt Plumbing & Heating, and Coleman Electric.

Klein said Habitat for Humanity supporters hoped to see the fruits of their labor - both in the sense of completing a physical building, and in the sense of developing "fruits of the spirit."

"We hope that these new neighbors will be supported, and everyone in the community can be just as excited as we are," she said. "This home may be the fruits of our physical and mental labor, but the fruits of our spirit will be a lasting testament of the partnership that we build along the way."

Klein said Habitat for Humanity is looking for volunteers. The organization is also accepting applications for homeowners for the build in Marshall. Potential homeowners need to meet requirements including that they fulfill "sweat equity" hours, and have been a resident of Lyon County for at least one year. Lyon County also has specific income requirements for eligible homeowners, depending on the size of their family. For example, the Lyon County income requirements for a family of 5 would be between $55,250 and $88,400 per year.

More information, and an online home ownership application form, are available at the Habitat for Humanity of West Central Minnesota website, habitatwcm.org.