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The open house at the Hawthorne Village Apartments in North Minneapolis, hosted by Third Way Network and the St. Joan of Arc Housing Ministry this Sunday, November 7, 2004, drew a good crowd of interested participants. Third Way Network founder, Paul Halvorson, volunteer coordinator, Tracy Vicory, and property owner, Brian Kallioinen provided guided tours of the most complete of four multi-family buildings. It is expected to be ready for tenants by the end of the year. It should be getting sheetrock installed this week. In the framed walls, we could see completed heating, air conditioning, electrical, plumbing, and sprinkler systems. The rooms were all identified, and with a little imagination you could see how the lower floor will become 2 two-bedroom apartments and the upper two floors will be 2 more three-bedroom apartments.
Some people also toured the building next door which is the last one to complete the demolition phase. It gave an interesting perspective of how far the work on the other building has come. They were nearly identical to begin with. We also looked around the back yard which is planned to become a common play area shared by all four buildings. There are also porches and other common areas in the buildings where tenants can congregate and get to know their neighbors.
After taking the tour, we enjoyed refreshments and conversation about the project. Some came interested in volunteering, others were looking for housing, and still others just wanted to learn what was happening there. The project is sometimes compared to Habitat For Humanity, but unlike Habitat, Third Way does not own the homes it remodels. Instead, it works with existing homeowners to help renovate sub-standard or not fully utilized living spaces and use the donated labor and materials to help make the housing affordable to renters and possible homeowners who probably wouldn't qualify for Habitat housing. St. Joan of Arc, the property owner, and the General Mills Foundation have all provided funding, and volunteers have come from many places including SJA, the Academy of Holy Angels, and Sentence-to-Serve. Some work is done during the week, but most volunteer work is done on Saturday in two shifts, 9 am - 1 pm and 12:30 - 4:30 pm, with lunch provided from 12:30 - 1 pm.
Some volunteers who were present at the open house related how rewarding it is to see tangible results of their efforts. If this might interest you, please contact someone from the SJA Housing Ministry or Third Way Network (www.thirdwaynetwork.org/).
| Volunteer labor is responsible for much of the construction. |
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