In an interview with Community Impact, Golden shared the organization’s mission, current projects and future plans.
What is Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County’s mission?
[The] primary mission is to bring people together to build homes, community and hope—and we do that in two major ways. One of them is in the home repair business for low-income people throughout the county. And then we also build and sell new homes to individuals also in our county.
How has the organization's work evolved in recent years? Is there any response to the local housing needs that you've seen?
There continues to be a strain, not only in Georgetown, but throughout the county for affordable housing. Not only for low-income people but also workforce housing.
As some of these large employers like Samsung and Dell return to work, and the other big data centers come into this area, it's a popular place to be. That is driving up home prices. People on the lower end of our socioeconomic status are really squeezed hard to find their own place that they can call home.
How does Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County decide where to build?
No surprise—we build homes where we own land. We are fortunate to own several undeveloped properties in the city of Georgetown. It is the only place in the county that we currently have land available to build on. We have built in five or six different cities throughout the county, but this is where we are right now in Georgetown.
What current construction do you have going on?
We're currently working on the first two new homes in Shepherd's Village. Our volunteer construction crew is working on two side-by-side townhome-style condominiums, which will be occupied by two single mothers who both have kids.
What future projects do you have planned?
We are still going through some committing processes with the city and with the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality for our Leander Street Cottages, which we hope to resolve later this summer, which will allow us to start new home construction there, too.
How can people get involved?
We do need volunteers to help us with our new home construction. Our volunteer crew continues to get older, and an influx of maybe a younger construction workforce will be helpful.
About the project
Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County broke ground on the Shepherd Village homes April 12 and hosted the first build day April 23. The homes will be complete in late September or early October, Golden said.
The condos are set to have addresses at:
- 302 W. 22nd St., Georgetown
- 304 W. 22nd St., Georgetown
