I’ve visited more than 20 counties so far on my Hoosier Crossroads Tour. Sometimes, I’m concerned that I’ll start seeing the same thing over and over. So far, that hasn’t happened, and I think that’s because each community is unique and continues to add its own creative twist to the story.
I saw improvement through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) in Terre Haute in August (http://beckyskillman.blogspot.com/2011/08/lt-governor-celebrates-terre-hautes.html). They were noteworthy for their speed in acquiring abandoned property and turning into affordable, livable housing. In Perry County, Tell City’s version of NSP was similar, with one of those creative twists.
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Lt. Governor Skillman observes high school
students build a house. The students are working
with Habitat for Humanity in building affordable
housing for the community, while also earning
school credit.
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Tell City partnered with Habitat for Humanity and Tell City High School building trades to build these new affordable housing units. We all know about the wonderful work Habitat for Humanity does to build housing for those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it. In fact, my staff has participated in Habitat builds the last two years. So involving this non-profit group in the NSP plan was an excellent idea.
In addition to that, Habitat brought students from the nearby school to participate in the build. These students helped build the home for class credit. It’s an innovative way for these youths to learn a real-world skill while helping their friends and neighbors. I had the pleasure of talking to those students and I came away very impressed.
As for me, I’ll continue this statewide adventure and look forward to the next creative twist.
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