Habitat for Humanity seeks county help to acquire Madison Woods site for affordable homes

Shelby, representing Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Indiana, asked the county to consider supporting acquisition or construction for the Madison Woods project, which would be located behind Walmart and Lowe’s. Shelby said Habitat currently builds about one home per year at roughly $200,000 and that volunteers contribute approximately 1,000 hours per home to reduce costs.

The presenter said the group expects to partner with a private developer who may donate or discount parcels and that acquiring the site could enable Habitat to increase annual home production—potentially moving toward two homes a year if fundraising and budgets align. Council members asked about parcel size and the role of local funding; the presenter said land sizes were small backyard lots and that further details would follow as negotiations progress. No formal action was taken at the hearing.