Walking Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland’s Maple Hill construction site, you immediately get the sense that it is not your typical construction site. Maybe it is seeing a 19 unit townhome community, not the typical Habitat project. It could be the large number of orange shirts on site, a testament to the strong and passionate volunteer base that Habitat has. There are as many possibilities to consider as there are opportunities that this community is about to give its’ future homeowners.
The Maple Hill community is Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland’s first new construction project since 2008. The motto here, like on all Habitat projects, is the same. Simple, decent and affordable. “What Habitat is trying to do at Maple Hill is make it possible for people to have improved lives through economic empowerment and stable housing options”, says Jeff Dee, Director of Development for Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland. “We have taken a piece of property with 2 dilapidated houses on it and transformed it into a community where families can play, go to school up the street and change their lives.” Before moving into their homes, partner families put 200-500 “sweat equity” hours in by helping to build the home itself or work in a Habitat ReStore or the Habitat Metro Maryland office.
Putting together a community of this size is a team effort supported by trades and individuals who volunteer their time, expertise, products and services. For Reico Kitchen & Bath that meant working with the Habitat team to put together the right products, design and pricing for the kitchens and the bathrooms to help Habitat get the Maple Hill Community built. According to Dee, “Every time Reico Kitchen & Bath helps us by either donating materials or helping us with pricing for the units the more savings we can pass on to our partner families.”
The Maple Hill Community is scheduled to open in Gaithersburg, MD this September. For more information, go to http://www.maplehill-mc.org/.
