Shepard Street, New Haven

The Shermans’ new home on Shepard Street in New Haven marks a long‑awaited milestone for the family. On Sunday afternoon, September 14, Tonya Sherman and her children received the keys to 18 Shepard Street as friends, neighbors, and supporters gathered to celebrate.

Madison Cares’ fourth project was a renovation of the home at 18 Shepard Street, completed in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven. The house is now home to Tonya and her three children, Sharell, Niyel, and DJ, and was officially dedicated on September 14.

A team of Build Coordinators helped guide the project:

• First Congregational Church – Sue Wenderoth

• St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church – Glenn Stewart

• New Haven Friends Society – Maureen Lopes

• North Madison Congregational Church – Les Higgins

• North Madison Congregational Church Youth Group – Lisa Fecke

Earlier in the process, 18 Shepard Street stood as a work in progress, with photos from June 2008 showing the house before its transformation. The home’s journey began even earlier, when Madison Cares members joined Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven to break ground on their fourth collaborative build on November 11, 2007.

Tonya and her children Sharell (14), DJ (10), and Niyel (1) had spent years hoping to own a place of their own instead of renting. For Tonya, homeownership is both an investment and a source of greater stability for her family, ending the experience of “paying someone else’s mortgage” and beginning a future in a home they can truly call theirs.

Volunteers played a vital role both on and beyond the build site. Madison teens Matt Zotto, Ryan Savoca, and Jake Ryan, who were working on the Shepard Street project, also helped nearby neighbors plant a garden in their community park. Madison Cares board members Kim Ryan, Elaine Romano, and Tammy Stemen installed siding on the home, while John Leckerling cut boards, contributing essential hands‑on work to bring the renovation to completion.