'Ground Up' - Whirlpool and Habitat for Humanity Help Family Build Home

On a frigid January day with temperatures in the single digits, Tracey Hodge and her son Dante were toasty and snug in their brand new home on Bloomington’s near west side. Owning their own home was a dream come true for the Hodges—a dream they literally helped build from the ground up.

For years Tracey, a single mom and lab assistant at IU Health Bloomington Hospital, struggled financially to support herself and Dante, 17, who has Asperger’s syndrome and other disabilities. Until last fall, they lived in Section 8 housing, with little hope of ever having their own house until they discovered how they might qualify for a Habitat for Humanity home. To qualify, Tracey said they needed to meet three criteria.

“First, we needed to demonstrate a need for housing, which we did because we had Section 8 assistance,” she explained. “Second, I needed to be on my job for one year and prove that I could pay the interest-free mortgage. Third, every adult in our household—which is only me, because Dante is 17—must do 250 hours of sweat equity, not only working on our build but working with other families as well.”

Last October, with those criteria met, Tracey and Dante became the fifth Bloomington family to build their Habitat for Humanity home at Indiana University. The blitz home build began on September 24 across the street from IU’s Memorial Stadium near the Virgil T. DeVault Alumni Center. For ten days in nearly perfect autumn weather, a volunteer force that included IU faculty, administrators, students and alumni swarmed the construction site hammering, sawing, and raising walls. All involved knew that none of this would have been possible without the financial support of the Whirlpool Corporation.

“Whirlpool is Habitat’s most incredible sponsor,” said Kerry Thompson, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County. “A number of Whirlpool senior executives are graduates of IU’s Kelley School of Business. Everyone, including IU Provost Lauren Robel, the dean of the Kelley school and Whirlpool executives, worked side-by-side with students and other volunteers.”

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