East Hartford resident Hailey Garcia remembers waiting in line for hours with her mother to be considered for a Habitat for Humanity home.

“My father passed away actually in 2023, and then the day after, we got approved for the house,” Garcia, 17, said. “It was literally like a loss, but a blessing. And it was just amazing. We were so excited, and it kind of distracted us from my whole dad thing. It was great.”

Garcia will live in one of 10 new Habitat for Humanity homes with her mother and two brothers.

The single family homes at the Burnside Hope development have three bedrooms and took two and a half years to complete. The homes are net zero energy, meaning they will operate only on renewable energy sources.

Construction on the homes began amid Habitat for Humanity of North Central Connecticut celebrating its 35 year anniversary.

Families eligible for the homes earn from 50% to 80% of the area’s median income (AMI) and will receive a 0% interest mortgage. The new homeowners must also attend home buyer and financial literacy courses and help with the homes’ construction.

East Hartford Mayor Connor Martin said the town is increasing its partnership with Habitat for Humanity.

“The partnership between Habitat for Humanity and the town of East Hartford could not be more strong, and it’s so strong that we’ve actually just sold two more properties to them to build two more single family homes,” Martin said. “That’s what this partnership means.”

The recently finished complex provides a lot to the community, according to Martin.

“Projects like this are so important to the town of East Hartford because it checks off a number of boxes, whether it’s providing first time home ownership, helping grow our grand list, put new homes on the tax roll,” Martin said.

He also highlighted how the project makes use of East Hartford’s blighted areas.

“Taking a dilapidated, underutilized property and turning it back as a productive use to the community. That’s what this project achieved, and we couldn’t be more proud about it,” Martin said.