SEVEN HABITAT HOMES PUT FAITH, SERVICE AND AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP INTO ACTION.

(Submitted Photo)

Auxiliary Bishop Jeffrey R. Haines blesses a Habitat for Humanity home Aug. 21 as part of the Pope Leo Village initiative in Milwaukee. (Submitted Photo)

Auxiliary Bishop Jeffrey R. Haines blesses a Habitat for Humanity home Aug. 21 as part of the Pope Leo Village initiative in Milwaukee.(Submitted Photo)

A national effort inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s call to serve others is taking root in Milwaukee, where Habitat for Humanity is building seven affordable homes for families in the Bronzeville and Harambee neighborhoods.

Habitat for Humanity Milwaukee launched its local Pope Leo Village project Aug. 21 with a blessing at a construction site in Bronzeville. Auxiliary Bishop Jeffrey R. Haines offered prayers for the project, the volunteers who will help build the homes and the families who will eventually make them their own. Following the blessing, participants were invited to write prayers and blessings on the foundation.

The Milwaukee project is part of a larger Pope Leo Village initiative supported by an anonymous donor inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s commitment to service and community. The national effort is expected to support approximately 250 affordable homes in 21 cities while encouraging young people, schools and faith communities to put that call to service into action through volunteering and fundraising.

Milwaukee Habitat announced its participation in the initiative in January when it said the project would support seven homes to be built during 2026 and 2027. The homes are intended to help local families achieve the stability and long-term benefits of affordable homeownership.

Unlike a traditional home purchase, Habitat homeowners become active partners in the building process. Future homeowners complete sweat-equity hours alongside volunteers and purchase their homes with an affordable mortgage, making homeownership attainable for families who might otherwise be priced out of the market.

For Milwaukee Habitat, the project comes as the organization continues building affordable homes in neighborhoods throughout the city. Its work is rooted in bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope, with homeownership providing families an opportunity for greater stability.

At the Aug. 21 blessing, Bishop Haines connected the physical work of construction with the spiritual work of service, praying that those involved would “grow in faith and charity” and that the homes would ultimately become places where families can flourish.