Miami University athletes volunteer for affordable housing construction in Oxford

Between workouts and team building activities, Miami university athletes are taking part in a different type of building this summer: constructing Habitat for Humanity homes.

Oxford’s Habitat for Humanity community began in 2010 with plans to create a 20-home subdivision for first-time homeowners. The subdivision, known as Reckford Woods, consists of two cul de sacs off of Hester Road, and the final two homes are nearing completion this year.

Erin Kelly, volunteer program manager for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati, said Habitat homes can take up to 300 volunteers to construct over the course of three to six months. Homeowners are also required to spend 200 hours helping construct the houses they themselves will eventually live in.

“Miami has actually been really central to our homes in Oxford,” Kelly said. “We’re based in the Cincinnati area … so Oxford is a bit of a drive for us … A couple years ago we started partnering with Miami University who has been our core pipeline for volunteers.”

This summer, Kelly said Habitat for Humanity has worked with teams across Miami’s athletic department to construct the final two homes in Reckford Woods, including athletes in volleyball, basketball and others.

Chase Becker, a tight end on Miami’s football team, said the team signed up in various shifts to help out this summer based on their positions on the team. He and the other athletes moved back to campus on Memorial Day and have had workout sessions every weekday since then. Beyond training for the season to start, he said volunteering has been a big part of the summer for the team each year.

“It was really cool to be able to help out a family in need, and especially to do it with my teammates,” Becker said. “I thought it not only made us closer, but it was cool to help out a family that may not be as fortunate as some of us on the team.”

Matt Yoches, director of football operations, coordinates volunteer opportunities for the team each summer. Volunteering helps athletes with teambuilding and leadership skills, linebacker Adam Trick said. He spent two hours helping with the Habitat house construction on July 11 and said he was surprised by how efficient the process was.

“Our site leader, Joshua, was very helpful with demonstrating how to use certain machines and different techniques for getting done what needed to be done,” Trick said. “I was going into it not really sure what to expect, but I was really glad I ended up having the opportunity.”

The home Miami’s football team helped with will belong to Victoria and Christopher Caudill when it’s finished. Christopher Caudill is an amputee of his left leg and has struggled to find housing that meets his needs, according to a Q&A the family filled out with Habitat for Humanity.

Sarah Reynolds, communications and marketing officer for Greater Cincinnati’s Habitat branch, said homeowners pay for their homes and have a 0% mortgage. Habitat also helps their homebuyers attend financial and homeowner education classes to make sure they’re prepared once they move in.

Because the Oxford Habitat homes are all within a subdivision together, Reynolds said it creates a sense of community among the residents.

“A lot of times, those homeowners get to work alongside each other, too,” Reynolds said. “When you have two houses coming together at the same time, kind of like we do now, they can become friends throughout that process, so when they move in, they already know their neighbor.”

When the two homes currently under construction are finished, Oxford’s Habitat subdivision will officially be complete.