Habitat for Humanity of Lafayette, in partnership with Tempest Homes, First Merchants Bank, the Clinton County Community Foundation, and local city and county officials, held a ceremonial groundbreaking on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, at 405 Baldwin Ct. Frankfort, Indiana. The event marked the start of construction on seven new single-family affordable homes now open for applicants and included community organizations and seven volunteers.
Bob Anderson, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Lafayette, delivered opening remarks, followed by Tom Jameson, Operations Director, and the Clinton County Chamber of Commerce, who gave the opening prayer. Community partners who shared remarks included Mayor Judy Sheets of the City of Frankfort; Emerald Blankship, Senior Vice President of the Clinton County Community Foundation; Kimberly Thomas, Mortgage Sales Manager at First Merchants Bank; Lorra Archibald, Executive Director of Healthy Communities of Clinton County Coalition; and Shan Sheridan, CEO and Economic Development Executive Director of the Clinton County Chamber of Commerce.
Angie Whitlock, a member of a Habitat partner family, spoke about the homeownership process. The ceremony concluded with closing comments by Bob Anderson, who presented a $50,000 check from the Clinton County Community Foundation to support the project.
Two of the seven homes—located at 509 Delphi Avenue and 715 Magnolia Avenue in Frankfort—were donated by the Board of Works and City Council, with Don Stock leading the effort to make the properties available for the project.
Construction began immediately following the ceremony, with a projected completion in Spring 2026. Habitat for Humanity of Lafayette also plans to build additional homes with volunteer labor over the next 18 months. The last Habitat home in Clinton County was completed in May 2023 on John Street.
Application Guidelines
Habitat serves families from seven counties who earn between 40% and 80% of the area median income. To qualify, applicants must meet income, debt, and residency requirements, and demonstrate financial stability:
Income: Must have at least 1 year of consistent income (employment, child support, SSI, SSDI, pension, etc.). Self-employed applicants must provide 2 years of tax returns.
Debt: No unpaid collections over $1,000 (medical debt excluded). Total debt cannot exceed 40% of gross monthly income.
Employment: If employed, must have been in the same line of work or with the same employer for at least 6 months; employment history for 2 years will be reviewed.
General: Must live or work in one of the service counties for at least 1 year; no bankruptcy, eviction, or foreclosure in the last 3 years; background check required; cannot have owned a home in the past 3 years.
Married applicants must apply jointly.
Application Guidelines and Application available in English and Spanish
Interested applicants can visit www.lafayettehabitat.org/homeownership to review full guidelines and submit an application.