Assemblymember Demond Meeks and the Catholic Charities YouthBuild join build effort.

On Friday, July 15th, Flower City Habitat for Humanity (FCHH) and The Builders Exchange of Rochester (ROBEX) gathered at 226 Saxton Street, Rochester, NY to continue a build with some added community support. Assemblymember Demond Meeks (137) and the Catholic Charities YouthBuild were onsite aiding in the construction of a home for a local family in need. With this added support, this build has new levels of community coming together.

Assemblymember Demond Meeks shared “I am elated to be a part of the incredible work being done on Saxton Street. By providing safe and reliable homes to low-income families, we create an opportunity to build generational wealth and to escape the cycle of poverty. Affordable housing developments like these are essential for bringing support and resources to our families and individuals throughout the city of Rochester. I want to thank Flower City Habitat for Humanity for their dedication to the families of our community” about the experience.

The build, which marks the second partnership between FCHH and ROBEX, began September 2021, when both parties came together to break ground at 226 Saxton St. FCHH and ROBEX have gathered the Rochester building community over the past year to support a deserving homeowner as they work toward achieving the “American Dream” of homeownership. In this partnership, they will be building a home to be earned by a local family through sweat-equity and an affordable mortgage.

Additionally, FCHH and ROBEX hope to bring awareness of the viability of a career in the construction trades, by using the site as a training ground for high school students and job seekers interested in pursuing a career in this industry as the build continues. The build is completely supported by ROBEX and their construction industry members, who are donating time, funding, and materials to make this specific build possible. Completion of the home and dedication ceremony are anticipated in early fall of this year.

Flower City Habitat for Humanity CEO, Matthew J. Flanigan stated “We (FCHH) would like to thank Assemblymember Meeks for joining us on this particularly special build day, working with young people, building a Habitat home across the street from the high school he graduated from. The work that the Assemblymember and YouthBuild members completed today takes us one step closer to another brand new Habitat home and another stable homeowner in the JOSANA Neighborhood.”

Builders Exchange of Rochester CEO Kim Gaylord added “The Builders Exchange of Rochester is proud to rally the generosity of the local construction industry to give back to the community through our support of Flower City Habitat for Humanity and the YouthBuild workforce development program. Habitat homeownership and good paying jobs in the construction trades are both great ways to build economic stability in Rochester.”

Help us thank the Rochester Junior Builders Exchange for their generous donation and volunteer crew!

226 Saxton Street is being built through our partnership with The Builders Exchange of Rochester and Rochester Junior Builders Exchange. Learn more at https://robex.com/habitat-build/

We broke ground at 170 Parsells Avenue on May 7th and in just a few weeks we now have the basement in, first floor subfloor installed, and the first wall going up!

​Thank you to the McDermott Family for making this home possible!

Second floor joists have been installed at 383 Jay Street and a special "Happy Birthday!!" to Flo, one of our weekly Hammer & Saw volunteers on the Wednesday crew!

Next up is second story subfloors. Check out the buttons below for upcoming volunteer opportunities for both construction and ReStore.

First floor walls are up at 383 Jay Street!

​Special thanks to all the volunteers who responded to our call for signups last Saturday. Check the buttons below for more upcoming volunteer opportunities!

Thank you to Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Rochester Mayor Malik Evans, NYS Assemblymember Demond Meeks, and all the other volunteers and supporters who joined us in-person and online to celebrate the completion of our 250th house!

This milestone build, located on Campbell Street, was made possible through a longstanding partnership with Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and their dedication to investing in housing and building a stronger, healthier community.

Congratulations to the Homebuyer for all the work put in to get to this point and thank you for partnering with us to achieve your goal of homeownership!

Check out photos below!

More construction progress at 383 Jay Street! In these photos, regular Habitat volunteers ("Hammer & Saw") are installing mud sills and the center beam on top of the basement foundation walls. Next up will be floor joists, subflooring, and walls! Check the buttons below for upcoming volunteer opportunities!

Construction is humming along at 383 Jay Street. We've gone from a hole in the ground to installing the foundation footers, to installing the insulated concrete forms in just a couple weeks!

Thank you to all the volunteers that helped us kick off this home in great fashion, check out the buttons below for upcoming volunteering opportunities!

Emma & Beechwood Neighborhoods: If you aren't familiar with Connected Communities, they are "Dedicated to building up EMMA and Beechwood neighborhoods from within by engaging residents, service providers, and community partners in our holistic approach."

Flower City Habitat for Humanity is one of many partners who are helping with this effort that encompasses everything from education, economic opportunity, health and wellness, and of course... housing.

Last week they presented a thorough quarterly update, including housing efforts. The link below will start the video at the housing update, but if you are interested in learning more about other neighborhood initiatives, just start the video from the beginning!

Construction has begun at 383 Jay Street and we need volunteers!

This home was made possible by a generous individual donor which means we have a lot of volunteer opportunities to help build it. Click the buttons below for availability. Some April shifts are open now and more will open on a rolling basis, so check back throughout the month for additional availability.

Looking to buy a Habitat home? Applications have closed on this one, but two others are accepting applications now, with more to come. Click the upcoming homes button for more information.