Habitat for Humanity of St. Augustine/St. Johns County (Habitat St. Johns) is honoring one of its most supportive donors, Inez McDonald, by naming the main street in the newest community, Volusia Woods after her.
The street is McDonald Avenue.
McDonald, who this year will become a centenarian, is an incredibly vibrant, active 99-year-old. In addition to years of support, she was kind enough to give Habitat St. Johns the lead gift, enabling them to get Volusia Woods started.
“We are excited and proud to honor Inez McDonald by naming the main street in Volusia Woods after her,” said Malinda Everson, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of St. Augustine/St. Johns County. “Inez has been a generous supporter of Habitat St. Johns for many years and her donation helped make Volusia Woods a reality.”
Habitat St. Johns’ Volusia Woods neighborhood is also the beginning of a new strategic plan that will help accelerate the speed and building capacity of Habitat St. Johns from an average of six homes per year to 30 homes per year by 2028.
Habitat St. Johns is replicating the model other Habitat Florida affiliates have successfully implemented to enable them to build more than 30 homes each year to better meet the needs of the county’s workers and residents.
Volusia Woods is Habitat St. Johns’ fourth neighborhood in just over 30 years of operation and will consist of 36 homes when it is finished. Volusia Woods is located on North Volusia Street near the roundabout on Aiken Street that connects to Four Mile Road. It is just a few blocks north of Canopy Oaks, the third Habitat St. Johns neighborhood, completed in 2023.
During a presentation to the St. Johns County Commissioners in May 2024, the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee informed the commissioners that currently almost 60% of millennials are searching for housing, but unfortunately, it is in short supply here in St. Johns County.
One of the reasons for this is that the median sale price of a single-family home in this county was $600,000 as of April 2024. This is out of reach for most of the workforce, including teachers, CNAs, first responders, law enforcement, hospital staff, small business owners, hospitality and nonprofit workers, as well as retired senior citizens.
In addition, employers and business owners are struggling to find employees to work in their establishments, because most, if not all of them need to commute 40 minutes to an hour to get to work from where they currently live outside of the county. These long commutes also cause much of the traffic that impacts the county. If people live closer to where they work, they won’t have to travel as far and cross county lines.
Habitat St. Johns is working hard to help these hardworking, local, deserving families and individuals find a place to live in the county where they work, want to raise their families, and live their lives.
One of our Canopy Oaks homeowners, Tracey, recently closed on her Habitat St. Johns home. She reflected: “This is the most peace I have had in years and years. This new Habitat St. Johns home has been a Godsend. Now I don’t have to worry about my rent going up, having a stranger as a roommate in my 60s, or having my ‘home’ sold out from underneath me when the landlord decides to cash in. And I’m not ashamed of where I live when my daughter comes to visit me.”
Thanks to the very affordable mortgage, Tracey is now living comfortably. This newfound stability and security will help Tracey focus on her health and wellbeing.
Since 1992, Habitat for Humanity of St. Augustine/St. Johns County has built approximately 170 houses for families and individuals in need. To qualify for homeownership, applicants must demonstrate need, ability to pay, willingness to partner through 200 sweat equity hours and have worked or lived in St. Johns County for at least one year.
