News

Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio and the City of San Antonio join with City Councilman David Medina, Jr. to break ground and build walls for Morning Star Terrace Community

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – On Monday, April 2, 2012 – The City of San Antonio and Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio will join elected officials, supporters and volunteers to celebrate the groundbreaking of Morning Star Terrace, a new 14-lot Habitat community in District 5. The houses will replace dilapidated buildings and vacant lots to provide affordable homeownership opportunities for low income families (making 25-60% of area median income or approximately $23,000 annually).

The project was forged by a close relationship between City Councilman David Medina, Jr., and Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio, an ecumenical Christian non-profit housing organization working in partnership with very low-income families to provide affordable homeownership opportunities. With the addition of these 14 new lots, Habitat and the City are looking to expand their partnership by eliminating blight and creating much needed sustainable living opportunities for the residents of San Antonio.

“Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio provides a vital service to communities in San Antonio by building simple but safe and affordable homes in partnership with hardworking families,” Councilman David Medina, Jr. said. “By leveraging HOME Investment Partnership funds through the Housing and Urban Development Program (HUD), Habitat will be able to help provide fourteen hardworking San Antonio families with a roof over their heads and a brighter tomorrow where none may have existed before.”

Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio has built over 747 houses throughout San Antonio in its 36-year history, including the first Habitat home ever built in the United States. Morning Star Terrace will be among the first phase of houses constructed in 2013, and will set a new milestone for the organization when it begins construction on its 800th house.

“We appreciate the support of the City of San Antonio, specifically District 5 and the Office of Grant Monitoring and Administration, to help make the Morning Star Terrace project a reality,” said Natalie Griffith, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio. “Councilman David Medina, Jr. has been a champion for our cause, and we are eager to field matching donations of volunteer time and sponsorship as word gets out. Morning Star Terrace is another step in the right direction to our end goal of eliminating poverty housing in San Antonio.”

The Morning Star Terrace groundbreaking will take place at Kelly Area Park – “rain or shine.” City Councilman David Medina, Jr., City staff and Habitat volunteers will be on site at 9:30 a.m. building walls for the neighborhood’s first house. All interested community members are invited to attend the short groundbreaking program at 10:00 a.m. and celebration afterward. Light refreshments will be provided courtesy of Delicious Tamales and Domino’s Pizza.

For more information about Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio, visit www.habitatsa.org or call 210.223.5203.

Directions: Kelly Area Park; Off of Highway 90 take Cupples Road (heading south); turn left on Kirk Street (heading east); after flyover – turn right on Niemeyer St.; turn right on Thompson Place; Kelly Area Park is at dead end on right.

About Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio
Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio is an ecumenical, Christian organization working with families in need to build simple, decent and affordable homes without interest or profit. Habitat families are required to put in a minimum of 300 hours of “sweat equity,” meaning they help build their own home, the homes of their neighbors and they attend home ownership education classes. In turn, they purchase their homes on a 0% interest, 20-year mortgage. Their payments average about $400 a month, or about half the fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the city. HFHSA plans to build 58 homes in 2012. HFHSA was founded in 1976 as the first U.S. affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. The organization has built 747 homes since 1976.

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