A house is rising on a college campus in Athens. Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Ohio and Ohio University launched the on-site construction phase of the Bobcat Build on Friday, October 23, at Parks Hall on the university’s West Green, inviting students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members to celebrate the start of the build.
The Bobcat Build is a partnership between the university and Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Ohio to construct a 1,092-square-foot, three-bedroom home directly on the Athens campus. The home is being built as a modular build in two sections on campus before it is transported to its permanent site in Ross County for a local family.
Friday’s kickoff ceremony began at noon and was followed immediately by an open volunteer shift from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event featured remarks from leaders across the university, state and local communities and concluded with a ceremonial wall raising — the moment the project moves from plans on paper to walls standing on West Green.
“The Bobcat Build showcases what is possible when higher education and community organizations come together around a shared mission,” said Ken Oehlers, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Ohio. “Constructing this home in the heart of campus gives the university community a hands-on opportunity to address regional housing challenges while directly transforming the life of a local family.”
The work does not end with the kickoff. Throughout the fall and spring semesters, students, faculty and community members will work side by side on campus to complete the build. In the spring, the finished home will be transported to Ross County, where it will be completed and the keys turned over to the family on dedication day.
Building the house in two sections on campus solves a practical problem for a regional housing organization: volunteers are concentrated in Athens, while the family and the permanent site are in Ross County. The modular approach lets hundreds of campus volunteers contribute hours where they already are, then moves the home to the community where it will stand.
For southeast Ohio, where housing shortages reach from college towns into rural counties, the Bobcat Build is both a house and a template. It puts students to work on a real regional need, gives a Ross County family a three-bedroom home built in the open at the center of campus, and shows other universities and Habitat chapters a partnership they can copy.