Habitat for Humanity starts new Millersburg home for Fry family

Holmes County Habitat for Humanity started a new Millersburg home project for Cassandra and Chase Fry and their three children, Cali, Chandler and Caylee, giving the family a direct path toward an affordable place to live in the county seat.

The local affiliate says it partners with Holmes County families to purchase a simple, decent and affordable home, but only after applicants pass a strict screening process. From there, families move through financing, classes, site selection and building, a step-by-step model that ties the homebuying process to education and accountability as well as construction.

Holmes County Habitat identified the Frys as its 2026 partner family, and a later local report said the family is the affiliate’s 42nd partner family. That same report said the Frys will choose from four Millersburg properties currently held by Habitat, underscoring how limited the supply of affordable lots remains even as demand stays steady.

The project also reflects how long Habitat has been part of the county’s housing picture. The affiliate says it was affiliated in September 1995 and had built 37 homes through 2020. It also says its work generates more than $44,000 in real estate taxes each year in Holmes County, a measurable return that extends beyond the families who move in.

Housing need remains the backdrop. Holmes County Habitat says it is the only nonprofit provider of owner-occupied housing for low-income families in its service area, and a county-wide survey found more than 200 houses rated substandard under Habitat criteria. Each groundbreaking and home dedication, the affiliate says, marks another step toward more affordable housing in Holmes County, where the gap between incomes, available lots and safe housing remains wide.