HomeAid, charity and builder gather for ribbon cutting

HomeAid Houston and Boys and Girls Country, along with Trinity Signature Homes, members of the Greater Houston Builders Association, and supporters gathered in December for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of a new 3,076 sq. ft. duplex for Boys and Girls Country. Boys and Girls Country provides a Christian home for children who come from families in crisis.

The Boys and Girls Country’s main campus is made up of a network of 11 cottages, housing up to eight children per cottage. The children live with married “teaching parents” and any children they may have, as well as two single “teaching parents” who raise the children as their own. This new duplex will house teaching parents and employees who relieve them when they take their respite allowing them to regain cottage space which is now housing staff and repurpose it to house additional children.

At the ribbon cutting were (L to R) Carole Brady (HomeAid Houston, Executive Director), Vincent Duran (Boys and Girls Country, CEO), Kendall Powell (HomeAid Houston, Board President), Aimee Bertrand (GHBA CEO and Executive VP), Tia Gaston (Boys and Girls Country, Director of Quality Assutance), Clay Hudson (Trinity Homes, President), Quintes Stark (Boys and Girls Country, COO), and Ben Pisklak (Boys and Girls Country, Board Director).

HomeAid Houston has partnered with Boys and Girls Country since 2016 when the first of three cottages were completed. For this fourth project, builder captains Clay and Heather Hudson of Trinity Signature Homes stepped up to provide construction management.

The Hudsons shared their reasons for donating their expertise as builder captains: “Being involved with Boys and Girls Country is a blessing to Heather and me. We… have devoted our lives to raising our children in a loving, supportive, Christian home.

“At Boys and Girls Country, it is not just about having a place to live, but also the support, security and leadership that come along with being a part of a loving, functioning family. Not free from struggles but infused with the desire to work through them toward a positive and fruitful life. We are eager to see the continued positive impact Boys and Girls Country will have on the lives of the children of our community and watch these lives unfold in glorious ways.”

HomeAid Houston will continue its partnership with Boys and Girls Country as they continue their campus expansion in 2024 to assist with two new cottages through a program called HomeAid Connects, facilitating the savings of approximately 20% – 35% on the build.

Boys and Girls Country provides hope for families and their children in times of hardship, offering the children a home and support. The campus can accommodate 88 children, ages 5-18. More than 90% of the children who come to Boys and Girls Country are from families living in poverty.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, HomeAid Houston’s core construction programs facilitate the construction or renovation of homeless shelters utilizing the pro bono construction resources of members of the Greater Houston Builders Association and its trades to save homeless service providers from 45%-100% of construction costs. Since 2003, HomeAid Houston has completed 78 projects which house over 5,000 homeless men, women, and children annually.

For more information about HomeAid Houston visit www.homeaidhouston.org or call 281-970-8970. For more information about Boys and Girls Country visit www.boysandgirlscountry.org.