The URI community will soon be in the swing of things, especially with hammers and nails. The University, in partnership with South County Habitat for Humanity, will build up to four single-family homes near the Kingston Campus. A fundraising goal of $80,000 for each South County home includes $2,500 each for homes in Haiti and Chile, both devastated by earthquakes this year.

“An important part of our mission at URI is outreach and service,” said the Rev. Lynn Baker-Dooley, honorary chairperson of the recently formed URI Building Homes Campaign. “This campus and community-wide partnership perfectly fits with that mission. It provides us with a unique opportunity to work together to meet an urgent local need for affordable housing.”

Before the campaign started, the URI Helping Haiti Committee, organized in response to the Haitian earthquake last winter, donated $2,500 to pay for the first URI Habitat home in Haiti.

For updates, visit uri.edu/habitat.