A family’s generous gift is providing the opportunity for Raise the Roof, the Shoreline Habitat connection and community build organization within Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven, to bring the work of its Habitat mission back to where it all began. Raise the Roof got its start in 2003 as a small grassroots organization called Madison Cares. Over time, as kind, generous individuals, organizations, and businesses from surrounding Shoreline towns began to step up to help, a name change was chosen. From that organizational foundation laid in Madison, Raise the Roof has steadily grown into a Shoreline community of support and volunteers from Branford, Guilford, Madison, Clinton, and Killingworth, helping families build and own Habitat homes within Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven for 21 years. To date, the 22 houses that the Raise the Roof community has sponsored and helped to build have been in New Haven. Now, the gift of a building lot at 24 Old Schoolhouse Road in Madison will bring building a home and raising a roof back to where the idea of being community that builds was conceived.

Kent Allen grew up in Madison, an experience that gave him wonderful memories. From his bedroom window in his family home, he remembers looking out on one of his favorite views ever of the land that today is the building lot at 24 Old Schoolhouse Road. Kent’s parents worked to gift their children with land on which to one day build their own homes, and 24 Old Schoolhouse Road was the gift that was passed on to him and his wife Susan.

As life unfolded, the careers of Kent and Susan took them to places other than Madison, and they, along with their children, made a family decision to make a gift of the land that is 24 Old Schoolhouse Road rather than sell. In their words, “The decision to give the land away came from a place of depth. It has felt more like a calling. Somehow, the idea that the land was a commodity that could be traded didn’t sit right. [We] have been the recipients of incredible generosity and kindness. We have felt the power of home and the grounding of the land. It is our turn to help provide those same gifts to another.”

Habitat for Humanity has long been an organization dear to Kent’s heart. He served on a Habitat board in the 80’s and worked on a rehab project in Plymouth, MA, where Millard Fuller, co-founder and former president of Habitat for Humanity International, offered the house blessing at the home’s dedication. Kent is still moved by remembering the words that Fuller spoke. Kent and Susan made the decision to give the building lot at 24 Old Schoolhouse Road in Madison to Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven. Raise the Roof, as the Shoreline community build organization within Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven, will sponsor the building of a Habitat house on the land and invite and gather Shoreline volunteers to help with the building. Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven and Raise the Roof are grateful and excited to honor this wonderful gift by building well.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven offers a Homeownership Program for individuals and families to purchase affordable homes. Members of the Homeownership Program take classes to prepare for successful homeownership and learn about various housing programs and resources available in the area, including Habitat for Humanity homes. Applications for the Homeownership Program will be available from October 15 to October 31. Please visit habitatgnh.org/homeownership/ before October 15 to sign up to receive an email with the application link or access a program application when they are available. Additional information about the Homeownership Program and its requirements can be found on the Habitat for Humanity website or you may email info@habitatgnh.org.

Habitat for Humanity homebuyers work side by side with a professional construction staff and community volunteers to build their homes, contributing a minimum of 400 hours of ‘sweat equity’ while framing, painting, hanging siding, laying flooring, and everything in between! At the end of the project, the new Habitat homeowners purchase their home with a 30-year, no interest, affordable mortgage.

It is not a simple task to turn a land parcel into a buildable lot, and then turn that lot into a home for a family. There are some key people involved who have worked diligently to get us to this point, and they will work with us throughout the building process. Michael Ott of Summer Hill Civil Engineers & Land Surveyors in Madison; Duo Dickinson, Architect from Madison, and Tom DiBlasi P.E. from DiBlasi Associates from Monroe, all have very generously donated their services to build the future Habitat home on Old Schoolhouse Road.

You can find a Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven Homeownership Flyer here with information about application availability. You are invited to share forward or post to provide awareness for those interested in applying.

A saltbox-style house as represented in the model below has been designed to be built at 24 Old Schoolhouse Road. Honoring the importance of home and helping others build and rebuild have been woven throughout the lives of Kent and Susan Allen. They helped to rebuild homes after Hurricane Katrina (below right.) Habitat projects in Jamaica and Guatemala are also among the places where they’ve built.

Raise the Roof is excited to gather our Shoreline community to build at 24 Old Schoolhouse Road.