Customer Spotlight
Building a Future
Habitat of Humanity of Waukesha County's Domenica Park Neighborhood
We all know Habitat for Humanity for their work building houses to expand access to affordable homeownership, one home at a time. But starting in 2022, Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha County decided to grow that vision with a development project that would house not just one family, but 20.
The first week Melissa Songco joined Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha County as CEO in April of 2021, someone mentioned “Aeroshade.” She soon learned it was a blighted lot near downtown Waukesha, once home to the Aeroshade window treatment company. It was located down the street from a school and a park, and it was begging to be put to good use. “The housing crisis wasn’t what it is today, but we could tell things were going to change. We couldn’t just build one or two homes a year and make an impact,” Melissa says. From an organizational perspective, it was difficult to find the next project while working on a current project. She thought, “What if we could find something we could work on for the next few years?”
“All around, in so many ways, this project is good for the home owners and good for the community. It’s a great testament to Habitat’s mission,”
And so, in 2022, Habitat Waukesha bought the Aeroshade land and, with the help of Jim Tarantino, a local developer, prepared the lot for residential building by establishing utilities. The completed subdivision, known as Domenica Park, is comprised of 18 buildings – 16 single-family residences and two duplexes. MEDC facilitated the construction funding for four of the homes. And the actual construction will be completed in the summer of 2026, with the manual labor of volunteers and the sweat equity of the future homeowners helping to make the magic happen. “It was risky,” Melissa says of taking on such a big project, “but it was filled with passion, enthusiasm and wonderful partnerships.”
Famously, the involvement of the would-be homeowners in Habitat for Humanity projects helps build investment in homeownership as well as the community. Already, the neighborhood is giving a return on the investment of both the organization and the inhabitants. In 2024, $30,000 worth of construction tools were stolen from the sight. “It was devastating for us,” Melissa says. Neighbors offered use of their tools and Ring security footage to help find the thieves. The community then raised over $100,000 to replace the tools and more. “All around, in so many ways, this project is good for the home owners and good for the community. It’s a great testament to Habitat’s mission,” Melissa says.
Melissa Songco, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha - Jefferson - Rock
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