By ALLEN MINCEY, Cleveland Daily Banner

Even though their organizations help in different ways, Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland and City Fields both are helping get local residents into new homes.

On Tuesday, Sept. 6, the organizations came together as Habitat presented its deed to property on High Street to City Fields.

Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland Executive Director Tammy Johnson and City Fields Director Dustin Tommey made the exchange.

“Dustin approached me a couple of months ago and said that they were going to be building over in that area,” Johnson said. “He said that's our new focus area and wanted to know if we were going to use the small lot that's over there.”

Johnson said Habitat officials looked closely at the property, located between 2nd and 3rd streets, and that group decided it was a better fit for City Fields, a Cleveland not-for-profit community development corporation.

Tommey said the property will help City Fields expand into the College Hill area.

“We are going to build a single-family home on it,” Tommey said. “Not this year. We got our hands full this year.”

City Fields is building nine homes in 2022, with the most recent on Wilson Street finished and two on 13th Street Southeast nearing completion. Two others on Wilson Street are in the building stages.

“We're going to try to piece together some other strategic spots that are also vacant and try to develop more single-family homes in that area that will bring stability — and families that are living there long term.”

The size of the lot had much to do with the donation, as Johnson said City Fields is able to work within smaller plats with subcontractors, while Habitat needs more room to accommodate a large number of volunteers and the recipient families who help through "sweat equity."

“We can tend to bring up to 200 volunteers to one job site,” she explained. “So we have to have the parking spaces so we have the ability to host our corps volunteers that come out on Tuesday and Thursday. We have to have the ability to host sponsor groups that bring 10 or more people to help build.”

Presently, Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland is working in the Morelock Meadows area near Blythe-Bower Elementary School. Johnson said Habitat soon will reach its 150th home locally since inception about 30 years ago.

“What City Fields is doing is a wonderful addition to our community,” Johnson said. “They are providing a service that is much needed in revitalizing the downtown area.”

Added Tommey: “Habitat and our work is really important as together we work to accomplish the goal of providing affordable housing to our community."