Clarkson’s first Habitat House
ownership returns to organization

It’s a rare occurrence that a home goes back to Habitat for Humanity once it has been constructed, but a home built in Clarkson in 1999 has recently been turned back to the organization.

Flower City Habitat For Humanity’s Executive Director Arthur Woodward said the home in Clarkson was the first one the organization has built outside of the city of Rochester. "We had an opportunity to acquire some land and felt this was really an opportunity to have a decent, simple house outside of the city," he said. "The cost of land makes it not very affordable for the future homeowners to build in the suburbs."

The house, located at 3356 Lake Road in the Town of Clarkson, was recently vacated. Woodward said confidentiality requirements precluded him from saying why the home was returned to Habitat or who the homeowner was.

"We have a good opportunity now for another eligible family to take possession of that home," he said. "We are going to be selecting a family to take it over … the local churches are helping us locate a family."

In order to be eligible, he said, the family would have to meet income criteria. "They have to have sufficient income to pay the mortgage but for a family of four they cannot earn more than $32,000 annually," he said.

The $32,000 annual income is 60 percent of the median income in Rochester, he said. The family also must have "decent" credit and be willing to partner with Flower City Habitat and commit to putting 500 hours of "sweat equity" into another building project. Families who apply for Habitat housing projects are required to invest 500 hours of sweat equity into the property they are looking to move into, he said.

Individuals interested in learning more about the Clarkson home can contact Woodward at 546-1470 ext. 303.