A sign at the intersection of Godman and South Columbia streets warns of a dead end, but for two Warsaw families, the nearby property represents a new life. On Monday afternoon, under a blazing sun, representatives of Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County, as well as several dozen people from churches and businesses and supporters of the families, came together for the groundbreaking for two future homes. The ceremony included an overview from Mickey Kaufman, the executive director for Habitat, and three prayers blessing the event and the efforts to provide homes to families that have struggled to find affordable quality housing for years. For Lee and Gina Ratliff, Monday was the beginning of the end of a difficult 10-year period that began when Lee hurt his back and left him unable to work. “We lost everything we’ve had,” Gina Ratliff said, referring to their financial challenges. The family has moved various times, but struggled to pay rent and find an acceptable place to live. Gina was overcome with emotion as Pastor John Lowe of New Life Christian Church and World Outreach prayed over them. She clenched her husband’s hand tightly and tried to hold back the tears as Lowe prayed. The couple said they’re especially excited to give their children a better place to live. “It’s just nice to be able to know they’ll have a place to call home and their own rooms,” Gina said shortly after the ceremony. The Ratliffs will have a four-bedroom to share with their three children. SYM Financial Corp. will be partnering with Habitat on the project, but as always, Habitat continues to need more volunteers and other forms of support, Kaufman said. The chance to own their own home, she said, is “a burden lifted off our shoulders.” The other scheduled future recipient of a home will be Andrea Wagner, a single mother of one. She said the chance to become a homeowner is an “awesome” dream for her and her son, Connor. She said she’s had difficulty to find housing that wasn’t too expensive and the ones she often found were too “sketchy.” She has been working with Habitat for three years. Construction of Wagner’s future three-bedroom home could begin as soon as next week and will be led by a group of churches coordinated through the Greater Warsaw Ministerial Association. “I’m so appreciative for Habitat for giving me the opportunity to realize a dream I’ve had since I was a little kid,” Wagner said. For the local Habitat chapter, this year marks the second consecutive year the group will have undertaken two projects. “It would be wonderful if we could get both in by October. It all depends on how many volunteers we get to come out and how skilled they are and a lot of things,” Kaufman said. Monday’s event came about in part by the generosity of Garry Himes, a lineman for Kosciusko REMC who acquired the property several years ago through an auction to ensure the property remained in his family for a fourth generation. The lot had been vacant for nearly 50 years, and Himes said he considered building a duplex on the property and later thought about donating it to the city as a park. But then he and his wife, Connie, received two calls from Kaufman. Kaufman had been driving around the city scouting for land suitable to construct two or three houses and thought the South Columbia Street property could work well. “She called back the second time in a more frantic voice and I realized she really wanted to talk with us, so I called her back,” Himes said. Himes said he was content that his other plans for the property did not work out. The future purpose, he said, is more worthwhile. “I feel really good about it,” Himes said.
