Home Front in the Community

San Juan Bosco ground blessing, Arcadia, Fla., Aug. 2006

Hundreds of people gathered in a pasture outside Arcadia, Fla., for the blessing of the ground where Casa San Juan Bosco, a farmworker community, will soon rise. The 85-acre project will include 125 homes built using the Home Front Panelized Construction System. Casa San Juan Bosco will be financed by Catholic Charities, growers’ associations, the federal government and individual donors. The development will include a community center, a ball field and play area. Residents of the community will have to be employed in agriculture and prove they are in America legally.

Katrina Cottage Open House, Englewood, Fla., August 2006

In six days, from Aug. 7 through Aug. 12, 2006, Home Front built a Florida Cracker-inspired version of the Katrina Cottage, designed by the architectural and urban planning firm of Andrés Duany, in Home Front Homes’ parking lot. Hundreds of people toured the Katrina Cottage, designed as alternative to “FEMA trailers” for victims of hurricanes and other natural disasters, during an Aug. 13 open house.

Catholic Charities, Arcadia, Fla., Sept. 2005

A Home Front construction crew raised the walls on a new house for a deserving Arcadia family. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Venice used funds donated by St. Thomas More Catholic Church Arcadia Outreach, based in Sarasota, to build the home.

EcoLODGical: YouthBuild Sarasota, April 2005

Four young residents of the Newtown community in Sarasota helped build Home Front homes for low-income Newtown residents. The four are part of ecoLODGical: YouthBuild Sarasota, operating under the auspices of the Greater Newtown Community Development Corp., which secured the land for the two houses and lined up qualified buyers. The Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Bank of America and SunTrust provided financial resources. Construction was financed by the Sarasota Office of Housing and Community Development. Additional assistance came from Dooley Mack Constructors, The Home Depot and the West Coast Minority Contractors Association.