Habitat for Humanity

 

Macomb County Habitat for Humanity has provided decent, affordable housing for 53 families since 1995. Funding for its projects comes from many sources, and is used either to build new structures or to rehab existing homes.  

Habitat combines the expertise of professional tradespeople with materials from local suppliers, together with the hard work of volunteers and potential homeowners alike. The homeowners’ sweat equity in building their own home, and the knowledge gained in participating in various finance and skills classes from MSU Extension Service, gives each family a good foundation for the future.

A few years ago, Macomb County Habitat was constructing three to five homes a year. That was expanded to twelve projects in 2009, and plans are to double that number in 2010. The affiliate had outgrown its previous facility and had been looking for more space to better serve more families. The search settled on a very visible location on Groesbeck at Hubbard in Mt. Clemens, in the former Lapeer Stamping Plant.

Macomb County Habitat for Humanity opened its approximately 32,000 square foot newly relocated on December 15, 2009. The ReStore is a donation collection center and retail outlet for new and used building materials, furniture, appliances and home improvement items that have been donated to Macomb Habitat.

People can obtain affordable home improvement materials at the ReStore, such as cupboards, sinks and light fixtures, while providing income to the non-profit. Donating to and purchasing from the ReStore also promotes and facilitates recycling, which in turn reduces our community’s waste stream. Over 526 tons of trash have been eliminated from landfills because of donations to the ReStore since it opened in 2004.

The building also provides staff offices and space for construction planning, projects and materials in an additional 20,000 square feet. The location is part of the Brownfield Redevelopment program that utilized Macomb County’s Hazardous Substances Grant, in part, to make the site suitable and safe for its new retail and storage uses. The site is over a former landfill, so the grant enabled the installation of monitoring wells for the property as well as the industrial building.

Dave Tirsell, Interim Executive Director for Macomb County Habitat, says, “One of the common concerns with the reuse of a site that has been used for industrial purposes and then converted to a retail use is whether it will be safe for both customers and employees. The help we received from the county to answer that question has enabled us to move into a great facility that will help us grow well into the future.”