Students, faculty and staff at the College will work this month in partnership with Williamsburg based Housing Partnerships, Inc. to build a house. The basic build will occur on campus before the house is moved to its final destination in upper James City County.
The build came out of a collaboration between Drew Stelljes, director of the College’s Office of Community Engagement and Scholarship, and Abbitt Woodall, HPI executive director, to find a way to make volunteer opportunities with Housing Partnerships as accessible as possible to students.
“I hope this project spurs on a group of students that might not otherwise volunteer and makes it easy for them to get started,” said Stelljes. “It’s a big task, but a unique service and learning opportunity.”
The house, intended for a senior citizen currently living without indoor plumbing, central heat or air conditioning, will be approximately 490 square feet with a living area, kitchen, one bathroom and one bedroom. It will be constructed, beginning March 19, on the lawn adjacent to Jamestown dorm at the corner of Jamestown Road and Landrum Drive.
