After Macon cleared ailing buildings, Habitat for Humanity dedicates new homes on same land

Jessica Payne
·3 min read

Families received keys to a new home at a dedication ceremony on Thursday, where Macon Area Habitat for Humanity celebrated the dedication with the new homeowners along with the mayor and other partners.

Two of the four new homes dedicated during the ceremony were built on property cleared during the first phase of the Blight Fight initiative and are examples of how blight can be transformed into home ownership opportunities through community partnerships, according to Ivey Hall, Macon Habitat executive director.

New homeowners smile for a photo at a home dedication by the Macon Area Habitat for Humanity on Thursday. Courtesy Macon Area Habitat for Humanity
New homeowners smile for a photo at a home dedication by the Macon Area Habitat for Humanity on Thursday. Courtesy Macon Area Habitat for Humanity

“So many came together to turn these blighted lots into homes for our families that we celebrate today,” she said. “And we are not stopping with these four homes or even this neighborhood - these partnerships are allowing us to turn blight into beautiful houses and helping our families turn them into true homes.”

Hall said the homes were built with funding from Macon-Bibb County through the American Rescue Plan Act and a matching gift from the Peyton Anderson Foundation. The partnership has already funded three completed Habitat homes and construction is underway on three more.

Families received keys to a new home at a dedication ceremony on Thursday. Macon Area Habitat for Humanity celebrated the dedication with the new homeowners along with the mayor and other partners. Courtesy Macon Area Habitat for Humanity
Families received keys to a new home at a dedication ceremony on Thursday. Macon Area Habitat for Humanity celebrated the dedication with the new homeowners along with the mayor and other partners. Courtesy Macon Area Habitat for Humanity

She said the need for affordable home ownership opportunities is at an all-time high and that the Macon community has stepped up to help make sure every family has a place to call home.

“We are so thankful for the many partners and volunteers who helped these families achieve their dreams of home ownership,” she said. “And this was not just regular construction, these homes were all built with so much love, hard work, and also a lot of joy.”

Mayor Lester Miller said the ultimate goal of the Blight Flight initiative is to remove the dangerous and ugly and replace it with something safe and beautiful.

“We are welcoming home four families,” he said. “This, truly, is what it means to be part of Team Macon-Bibb - all of us working together to help strengthen families and neighborhoods in any way we can.”

Housewarming gifts were part of a Macon Area Habitat for Humanity home dedication on Thursday. Two of the four homes dedicated were built on blight property. Courtesy Macon Area Habitat for Humanity
Housewarming gifts were part of a Macon Area Habitat for Humanity home dedication on Thursday. Two of the four homes dedicated were built on blight property. Courtesy Macon Area Habitat for Humanity

Hall said building a Habitat home is not possible without the hard work and dedication of its future Habitat homeowners, volunteers and community partners which included American Rescue Plan Act funding from Macon-Bibb County, the Peyton Anderson Foundation, Macon-Bibb County Economic and Community Development Department HOME Investment Partnership Program, LE Schwartz & Sons, GAF Roofing, and all of its 2024 Women Build teams.

During the dedication, members of the Roberts, Calhoun, Harris, Stephens and Simmons families also shared their appreciation for the new homes which were built in Lynmore Estates.

Macon Area Habitat for Humanity is an ecumenical Christian housing ministry and its goal is the elimination of substandard housing in Macon. Since its inception in 1986, Macon Area Habitat for Humanity has served almost 130 families in the Macon area through invaluable partnerships with area churches, corporations, groups, individuals, nonprofits and local government, through the provision of safe, decent, and affordable home ownership.

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