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Habitat Partners with Garden Homes to create Harrison Ridge
By Tamara Tilley
Truth Correspondent
Goshen—Situated on nearly 31 acres at the northeast tip of Wa-Nee schools off CR 28 is Harrison Ridge. This neighborhood is the second subdivision that the Elkhart County Habitat for Humanity has developed, according to Richard Miller, executive director for Elkhart County’s Habitat for Humanity..
Of the total 74 lots originally available, Habitat built 33 homes and invited Garden Homes to build homes on the remaining lots. Construction began in 2000 with the final home built last year, so no home sites are available.
Most of the one-story homes consist of 1,100 square feet and contain three bedrooms and one bathroom. Leroy Yoder, president of Garden Homes, said he made sure special features were added to the homes his company built.
“The models in this subdivision basically come from our ‘village series’ line of homes,” he said. “These are moderately-priced homes, but they still have style. We put gables on the front, we add porches, and the homes have cathedral ceilings.”
Yoder also said he offers a warranty period on the houses. A vast majority of his customers from Harrison Ridge are satisfied with their homes.
One of those customers is Sarah Goodsen, who, along with husband Rick and three sons, have lived in this subdivision for three years. “For the most part we have friendly neighbors,” she said. “My sons have some friends they can hang out with.”
Sara added one of the great things about the neighborhood is its ethnic diversity. According to Julie Schirmer at Habitat, 45 percent of the homeowners are black families; 38 percent are Caucasian; and 15 percent are Hispanic.
Sara said one very important thing the neighborhood currently is working on is creating a homeowners association and a neighborhood watch. Faruq Ghaffar currently acts as the unofficial “president” of the neighborhood.
Faruq, who has lived in Harrison Ridge for two years, said, “We want to have our own by-laws that will bring our community closer together and protect the property value of our area. For example, we have one empty lot that we’d like to turn into a playground and picnic area for the neighborhood, and we really can’t do that until we have our association.”
Faruq, who lives with his wife Ashley and daughter Fatima, also said most everybody in the subdivision is interested in the wellbeing of the neighborhood. Because of the community’s efforts to establish an association, he has met more of his neighbors in the last eight months than in the months prior, thanks to the organizational meetings.
Miller said Habitat for Humanity’s efforts will continue in Harrison Ridge. “We want to continue assisting the neighborhood in developing a greater sense of community. We think it’s a wonderful development, and we want it to be even stronger.”
Miller also said Harrison Ridge is a great concept and idea for entry-level housing. “The idea of having a mixed-income community is basically on the cutting edge. It brought together both non-profit and for-profit builders to build a community of entry-level housing. I don’t know of anyone else in the community right now who is doing that.”
One of Miller’s goals in Habitat for Humanity is to help stabilize families who tend to be more transient. In doing so, families feel a greater sense of pride in their homes and communities. Furthermore, school systems can deepen their involvement with the children of those families.
Miller believes Harrison Ridge is a step in the right direction for helping families in planting deeper roots into a community through owning their homes. He hopes to develop other mixed-income communities and is currently looking for land.
For information on Garden Homes, visit their website at www.gardenhomesinc.com, or call (574) 277-3500.
For information on Elkhart County Habitat for Humanity, call (574) 533-6109.
