As construction continues at 375 Campbell Street, WROC-TV visited for an update on the 250th Habitat home in Monroe County, a home made possible by the sponsorship of Excellus BCBS.

​Melissa Gardner, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Chief Population Health Engagement Officer, Matthew Flanigan, Flower City Habitat for Humanity President & CEO, and Marty Kranmer, an Excellus BCBS IT manager (and first time volunteer) were among those interviewed.

​Did you know that each Flower City Habitat family contributes at least 300 hours of sweat equity as part of our homebuyer program? Today we had five Habitat families working on the construction sites!

Alongside their family members and our construction team, five Habitat homebuyers participated in the construction of their new homes — directly building their American Dream. After the morning (and working up a good appetite), Amiel’s the Original Submarine provided complimentary sub platters, chips, cookies, and bottled water to everyone on the construction sites to help power them through the afternoon of building. Thank you!

Check out the news stories below to hear from three Habitat families and from our Family Services Manager, Tim Guillemette.

The Autism Council of Rochester, Inc. has created a new partnership with Flower City
Habitat for Humanity to create a unique housing program for individuals and families
with children & adults living with Autism. This partnership is a first-of-its-kind in New
York State and its focus will be to remove barriers which prevent our families from fully
participating in homeownership, including the families in the build process and the
necessary accommodations for Sensory Needs Modifications, which may be a
challenge for individuals on the spectrum and possibly prevent them from being able to
enjoy their physical surroundings and comfort within their home.

The program currently has five applicants in the process.

"We are very excited about the new housing program and the steps being taken to
serve a vastly underserved group in our community. As a parent of someone living with
autism, I have first-hand knowledge of the challenges living situations can create on a
daily basis," said Lawana Jones, Founder & Executive Director of the Autism Council.

“We are truly gratified to be in partnership with the Autism Council of Rochester. We
look forward to providing homes that will allow each individual to be fully supported
and truly benefit from their living environment. We know the impact on our homebuyers
and their families will be a lasting one,” said Matt Flanigan, CEO, Flower City Habitat
for Humanity. “We look forward to continuing to work together to achieve our mission
of building homeownership, communities, and hope.”

Groundbreaking for the initial two homes in the program will begin in June 2019.

​For more information on the next round of applications for the housing program, please
email, info@theautismcouncil.org

​This Friday! Join us, Spry Middle School of Webster Central Schools, and Rochester Wheels Wheelchair Basketball for the Spirit Week Charity Basketball Game!

The game will be held at Schroeder HS gym beginning at 7:00 pm on this Friday, March 1. Schroeder's address is: 875 Ridge Rd, Webster, NY 14580 -- and the gym entrance is around the rear. Admission is a $5 donation at the door (or more, if people want!)

Check out this amazing video by Samuel Bell - Spry Middle School, Webster - and join us tomorrow night for a great family night out!

If you can't make it, but still want to support this wonderful event, click the donate button now to help this event raise even more to help more families like Keisha's achieve their dream of homeownership!