Wednesday, October 8, 2025
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Serving Kosciusko County and parts of Elkhart, Marshall & Noble Counties Know Your Neighbor . . . . . . . . 2➤ Entertainment. . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Home Improvement . . . . . 7-9
Vol. 55, No. 15
Milford (574) 658-4111 • Warsaw (574) 269-2932 • Syracuse (574) 457-3666
114 W. Market, Warsaw, Indiana 46580
Habitat for Humanity building new homes in Warsaw, Mentone
By PHOEBE MUTHART Editor Habitat for Humanity is growing and building homes in Warsaw and Mentone and next year, Milford. Habitat’s Executive Director Ben Logan said there is a need for quality, affordable housing in Kosciusko County. Since 1991, the Kosciusko County organization has built 34 homes. The need is great, said Logan. “There is a housing shortage, especially for low-income families,” Logan said. “People need housing. Simple as that.” Logan said Habitat usually does one house a year; however, this year, it is building three and in 2023 and 2024, it built two homes. He said he wants to do another three homes by 2027. These are not “free” homes. The homeowner must obtain and pay a mortgage and put “sweat equity” into the home of 250 hours for 18 months. The mortgage has 0% interest. Habitat holds the mortgage. On average, a monthly mortgage is about $700. “They own their own home and the deed,” said Logan. “It starts a long-term relationship.” The three bedroom, one bathroom, open concept home is being built for Alexis Manges and her son, Khamaree Manges, 4. The lot was donated by Bowen Health last fall. The Manges’ home will be finished by the end of the year. It’ll be about 1,150 square feet and one story. The new Mentone location will be the home of Tiffany Bach, a single mother, her four children, and her father, Dennis, who is in a wheelchair. Kosciusko County Community Foundation has sponsored four
Habitat homes, with the Bach home being number three. Most of the Habitat homes have three to five bedrooms depending on the size of the family. One of the challenges, said Logan, is finding land. “We really need land,” Logan said. Anyone wishing to donate land may do so by contacting Logan. The Women Build program is run by all volunteers, all females, who are building a new home. Teams of women volunteers come together to construct the home in traditional Habitat fashion, but it goes much deeper than simply volunteering. These teams of women are also raising money to fund the home as well as build it. Logan said the goal was $150,000 and they are about $1,000 away from that goal. There were Women Build weeks in 2022, 2023 and 2024. “The Women Build has only grown more and more popular since we brought it back in 2022,” said Logan. “We want to take the event to the next level by using it to build an entire home.” The women are building the Hepler home in Warsaw, the first in over a dozen years. The last 100% Women Build Habitat home was completed around 2012-13 on East Market Street, Warsaw. Since then, Habitat has not done an entire house as a Women Build. The last few years, Logan said, “We did two, three weeks, but now that we’re building three homes, we really wanted to dedicate one of them to the Women Build, and so we went straight from a three-week Women Build to a whole house.” For more information or to apply, visit kosciuskohabitat.org or call (574) 269-4104.
HOME SWEET HOME — This new Habitat home is located in Mentone. It will soon be home to Tiffany Bach, a single mother of four, and her father. Photo provided by Habitat for Humanity.
WOMEN BUILD — Shown at a recent Women Build project in Warsaw are from left Brittany Hershberger, Erin Haynie, Ida Schmucker and Angie Deak. About 150 women participated in the Women Build event Thursday, Aug. 28, at Warsaw Community Church. Photo provided by Habitat for Humanity. BLESS THIS HOME — A woman, who participated in the Woman Build project in Warsaw, blesses the house with a message: “God Bless This Home.” Photo provided by Habitat for Humanity.