Habitat for Humanity builds homes at old McKinley Elementary site
PEORIA, Ill (WMBD) — There's still time for low-to-moderate income families to apply to live in houses that will be built on the site of the former McKinley Elementary School.
The South Peoria school, long vacant, was torn down in 2023 and could soon be the location of three new homes, built by Habitat for Humanity Greater Peoria. And that's just the beginning.
Within five years, there could several more homes on that lot. Habitat for Humanity received a Community Housing Development Organization grant totaling $445,000 and a $500,000 Community Project Funding grant
'We're excited for the families. We have a lot of applications and it's going to be tough to, you know, to make decisions on who's going to be our first homeowners. But we're just really encouraged that the amount of interest in our houses,' said Lea Anne Schmidgall, the group's executive director.
To apply, go to the group's website.
The rebirth of the site, located at 1201 W. Adrian G. Hinton Ave., could be a boon for South Peoria. McKinley shuttered years ago and has largely sat empty. Past plans to renovate it fell through and the buildings deteriorated to the point where they were deemed unsafe.
Although, final details on construction are still being worked out. The homes are built by volunteers and take anywhere from 18 to 21 weeks to complete, she said.
And for those who are worried, Schmidgall says Habitat goes out of its way to make home ownership a quality, hassle-free, affordable experience for families searching for a home.
'A Habitat for Humanity Home is brand new. Everything is warranted. We stand behind it. You know that you're getting a safe, affordable home that's top quality made,' she said.
First district Peoria city councilperson Denise Jackson shared a text message to WMBD about what this development means for the south side.
'We are excited about home ownership returning to that area. It is just the beginning of the redevelopment process that we hope will bring decent, affordable housing into the South Side of Peoria,' Jackson said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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