Groundbreaking Held for Habitat Home in La Grange’s Hope Hill for Wright Family
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Johnny Wright (center), surrounded by family, friends, Habitat for Humanity volunteers and local supporters, stands on his future homesite in the Hope Hill neighborhood of La Grange. They’re holding a signed 2x4 with words of support that will be used in the construction of his future home. Photos by Andy Behlen -
Supporters gather to write words of encouragement on a 2x4 that will be used in the construction of Wright’s home. -
Johnny Wright digs the first scoop of dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony for his new house in the Hope Hill neighborhood.
“God has provided a beautiful house.”
Pastor Austin Jones prayed those words as he gave the invocation at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Habitat for Humanity home in La Grange’s Hope Hill Subdivision.
The ceremony on Saturday morning, June 15, marks the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of Johnny Wright and his family.
“It’s been a journey,” Wright said.
Like so many young working folks in La Grange, Wright struggled to find good, affordable housing for his family. Wright said he wants to raise his four kids in La Grange. Many of his extended family members live in the area. He commutes daily to Austin for work at Dell Seton Hospital. Sometimes he misses his children’s games and other afterschool activities due to his job.
“I miss out on a lot of that kind of stuff,” Wright said. “But it’s good money.”
Still, owning a home seemed out of reach.
“We’re so happy to be building again,” said Kenny Couch, Executive Director of Fayette County Habitat for Humanity. “After COVID, and with property values skyrocketing, it looked really hopeless for a while. But to have the City’s support, they gave us these lots, were able to continue our mission.”
The Hope Hill neighborhood was originally built for victims of the 2017 Hurricane Harvey Flood. The Christian nonprofit Samaritan’s Purse, with the help of several local churches and organizations, built 20 homes in the neigh-borhood for the flood victims. In 2021, Samaritan’s Purse donated the remaining 41 lots including space for a future park to the City of La Grange. Back in 2022, the City of La Grange donated three lots in the Hope Hill subdivision to Fayette County Habitat for Humanity. The Wright home will be built on the first of those three lots.
“A lot of people think that Habitat homes are given away, but they’re not,, said Amy Parham, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Texas, who attended the ceremony on Saturday. “They come with an affordable mortgage based on the income based on the homebuyer.”
Habitat builds homes using donations and volunteer labor. The future owners must also assist in the construction of their home. Once built the new homeowners pay monthly mortgage payments, which helps Habitat build future homes.
“I can’t think of a more appropriate time to have this groundbreaking than Juneteenth weekend,” Parham said. “What we see all across the country, across all the people we build for, is that having the hope of home ownership is what builds community. Having this happen on Juneteenth reminds us of what freedom is and what having a stake in the community is.”
“It’s great to be able to have my family together,” Wright said. “It’s a blessing. I don’t even know what to say.”