Current Projects

House Rehab - 912 Avon Street

Recently Completed

House Rehab - 900 Farnam St Before 

Twin Home Construction - 5th and Mississippi Project Before

900 Farnam St. After

5th and Mississippi Project After

Upcoming Projects

Spring Grove Heritage House

Watch For Our Next Project

Recent Habitat Homeowners

Meet the Bright Family

​For Jenna Bright, home ownership means getting to provide a forever home for her two children, Brenten (8) and Emmalee Ann (1 ½), and their dog, Beatrice. It means that they have a safe, stable, environment where they have enough room to grow without worrying about where they are going to have to move to next.

The family previously lived in a two-bedroom duplex that they have outgrown. Unfortunately their apartment was also home to many unwanted critters – mice, spiders, and centipedes. It had uneven floors and unsafe windows that were hard to open and unexpectedly came crashing down. Heating the home was very expensive, with winter bills often more than $300 per month.

Jenna works for a nonprofit and loves the values that nonprofits have and what they provide for the community, so it was only fitting that she would apply for a Habitat home. When asked why she applied, she said, “Habitat is more than a bank running numbers; they are people who get to know you and care about you. They believe in you and have faith in you.”

Jenna loved the opportunity to build her own home. She enjoyed being involved with building her home and learning all about the house that she and her family will call home. When their home was finished, Jenna purchased it from Habitat for Humanity La Crosse Area through a 30-year, 0% interest mortgage. She enjoyed getting to know the Habitat staff and volunteers so much that she applied for our Donations Driver position and is now part of the Habitat team. 

Meet the Russell Family

Habitat for Humanity La Crosse Area works to provide a hand up, not a hand out. A hand up is just what Renee Russell and her four children, Adriel, Raisa, Leto, and Esmae, needed when Renee applied to be a Habitat homeowner. Renee works full-time but found it hard to find housing that was both affordable and safe for her family. As a single mother, Renee wants to provide the best she can for her children. She wants to have a place that she and her children can call home and have a home base to ground them as they continue to change through the years.

The family was living with Renee’s parents. Everyone was cramped, and Renee wanted to be able to let her parents enjoy their retirement while she enjoys a fresh start with her family.
Since finding out that she was going to be a Habitat Homeowner, Renee was busy volunteering on the Habitat job site and with her children at the Habitat ReStore in order to reach her 350 Sweat Equity hours. When asked how she felt about working with Habitat to build her own home, she said, “I am excited to know how building a home is done and to know that I will have helped build our shelter for the years to come. I am excited to have the knowledge I will need to take care of our home once it is built, to maintain and update as my family will grow and change.”
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The Russell family was able to move into their new home before the end of the year, thanks to their hard work alongside many Habitat volunteers, donors, and staff. When the home was complete, Renee purchased the home from Habitat for Humanity La Crosse Area through a 30-year, 0% interest mortgage.

Meet the Thao Family

For See Thao and her son, Yee (18), acceptance into Habitat for Humanity’s Homeowner Program means the finally have a safe, decent place to call home. They were living in a small apartment in awful condition. The kitchen was full of appliances that do not work. The broken dishwasher was being used as storage; the stove and oven were in disrepair; electrical outlets in the kitchen were unusable; the kitchen sink was corroded and leaks; and the fridge was broken. This made cooking at home almost impossible. The bathroom was just as bad. The faucet was corroded and barely useable, and the fan did not work, causing mold to grow. The family was also dealing with uneven floors, poor insulation, doors and windows that let outside air in, and a broken patio door. Not only were there problems throughout the different rooms in the home, the structure itself is very poor. The exterior paint was peeling off the building. Overall, the property was not maintained.
 
See applied to be a Habitat partner family because she knew that Habitat for Humanity makes homeownership possible for lower-income families. When asked about working with Habitat to build her own home, she said, “[I] feel happy and excited to build my own home with great people.”
 
See and her family completed 350 sweat equity hours alongside volunteers, donors, and staff as her forever home was being built. When their home was finished, See purchased it from Habitat for Humanity La Crosse Area through a 30-year, 0% interest mortgage.
 
 
 

Future Habitat Homeowners 

Meet the Hicks Family

Meet the Yang and Vang Family

For Sarah Hicks, homeownership means independence. Independence for herself and for her five children, Jayda (16), Shannon (11), Mya (9), Hugo (8), and Elias (7). Independence from landlords. Independence from the constant fear of homelessness.
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After having to move multiple times due to lead poisoning at two separate properties and a leaking basement in another property. The final straw was when her family faced homelessness after her landlord lost their home to tax forclosure, Sarah knew something had to change. She wanted to provide stability for her children.

The high cost of rent in the area has prevented Sarah from purchasing a home at market rate. After hearing about Habitat for Humanity’s Homeownership Program, she read Habitat’s mission statement, and it stayed in her mind. “I really think God wrote in my heart and in my mind to be here now,” said Sarah when asked why she applied to be a Habitat homeowner.

Sarah and her family will work alongside volunteers, donors, and staff to build their forever home. For the family of six, it will mean more independence and financial stability for years to come. When their home is finished, Sarah will purchase the home from Habitat for Humanity La Crosse Area through a 30-year, 0% interest mortgage.

“This truly gives an amazing humbling feeling that I have never felt before. [M]y kids and I and a whole village of volunteers are going to be building our forever home. It has given me and my kids inspiration, vision, opportunity, and hope for a brighter future.”
 

For Bee Yang and Kao Yee Vang, homeownership means safety and stability. It is a dream come true for a growing family who needs a space they can rely on to be theirs. It provides freedom from worry about renewing leases, not enough space, and rent costs.

The Yang family is currently living in a very small apartment. The windows are not well sealed, so water and cold winter air seep in most days, increasing their monthly housing cost. There are already 7 family members, and with a baby on the way, there is just not enough space for everyone to live comfortably.

Bee worries about providing space for his growing family, but can’t find a home with enough space because the rent would be too high. Bee works very hard to provide for his family today and in the future. This makes finding a living situation stressful because the family has been forced to choose between comfort and affordability. They have had to choose between saving costs now for their children’s future or spending more to give them more space today. Having a Habitat for Humanity home will erase this choice: they will have both. Habitat’s 30-year, zero-percent interest mortgage will keep their monthly housing costs steady and affordable. Bee and Kao will be able to save money each month to provide for their children’s futures while also giving their children the space to grow and play without worry.
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Getting a hand up, not a hand out, with their Habitat home will allow Bee and Kao to be part of the building process. When asked why they applied to be Habitat homeowners, they stated that they will be so proud to be part of the house that they will eventually move into and own.

Bee and Kao will complete 350 sweat equity hours alongside volunteers, donors, and staff as their forever home is being built. When their home is finished, they will purchase it from Habitat for Humanity La Crosse Area for the full appraised value through a 30-year, zero-percent interest mortgage.