Something very special is happening in Madison and many people are not even aware of it. Three houses are being built on Strickland Place in the “orchard” section of Madison. The orchard section of Madison is located off of woodland between Greenvillage road and Giralda Farms. There area is a very quaint neighborhood that is very family- oriented.
The three houses are a joint project between Habitat for Humanity and the Madison Housing Authority. The Habitat for Humanity is building discount homes all over the country and it is amazing that these are being built in our hometown. Habitat for Humanity builds homes in towns all over the US and sells these homes at very affordable prices to people who already live in the town.
These three-bedroom houses house are built solely by volunteers and have three separate designs. Each house has two baths and a single car garage and one home even has a wrap-around porch. These homes are built with “green” or reusable building materials. These homes will be sold for $185,000 each, a very low price considering the houses are costing the Housing Authority and the Habitat for Humanity around $1,304,237 in total. The borough of Madison is contributing around $437,000 for building. This money is coming from developers, not taxpayers. The remaining $867,237 will be raised through the collaborative efforts of the Madison Affordable Housing Corporation and Morris Habitat for Humanity through grants, donations of materials and services, and various fundraising events. The lot where these houses are being built has been in the town’s hands since 2004. The land was obtained by Madison through a foreclosure of an asphalt company, then the land was purchased by the Housing Authority in 2011 and ground was broken one year later. These new homes are bringing a new light to a quiet and often forgotten Madison neighborhood. Many may say what makes a house a home is a family; which is something these houses don’t have yet, but they will become homes soon enough. Families are expected to move in early 2014.