Habitat partnership bears fruit for homebuyers in South Bend
Joel Gibbs was about five years into his job as a maintenance technician at the University of Notre Dame when the message arrived in his inbox.
“Find out if you qualify to build a new home with Habitat,” read the headline in the March 7, 2023, edition of NDWorks Weekly, the weekly e-newsletter for Notre Dame faculty, staff, and their families.
Notre Dame, via its public affairs, treasury services, and University relations offices, had recently partnered with Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County to increase access to affordable housing in South Bend. Now, it was asking employees if they wanted to join with the local nonprofit too.
A single father, Gibbs was intrigued.
“I saw the post in NDWorks Weekly and thought, ‘Let’s give it a shot,’” he said.
Less than two years later, Gibbs is the proud owner of a new home on Turnock Street in South Bend, five blocks south of campus in the city’s Northeast Neighborhood, which encompasses Eddy Street Commons and the rapidly developing Indiana 23 corridor.
Latest ND NewsWire
- University of Notre Dame and FIA team up to reduce online abuse in sportsThe University of Notre Dame has announced a research collaboration with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile to lead an initiative addressing the rising threat of online abuse in sports. As the governing body for world motor sport and the federation for mobility…
- Notre Dame Research, Under Armour reach historic partnership to pursue innovations in materials, data analytics and human performanceOver the next decade, both organizations will co-invest in research initiatives that span multiple colleges and disciplines, and allow Notre Dame’s faculty, staff and student researchers to work alongside Under Armour personnel to identify research questions and design solutions for impact on campus and beyond.
- Internationally recognized physician Tom Catena to visit Notre DamePhysician, humanitarian and medical missionary Dr. Tom Catena will visit the University of Notre Dame on Nov. 12 (Wednesday) to deliver the 2025 Rev. Bernie Clark, C.S.C., Lecture at 5 p.m. in the Eck Visitors Center Auditorium. Catena’s lecture, titled “Hope and Healing,” is also part of the 2025-26 Notre Dame Forum, which is organized around the theme “Cultivating Hope.”
- On the eve of COP30 in Brazil, Notre Dame convenes faculty in São PauloSince its founding, the University of Notre Dame has sought to address the world’s most pressing challenges through scholarship, partnership and service. Responding to the growing urgency of environmental change requires precisely this kind of collaboration, bringing together universities, researchers and communities to create solutions that are just, sustainable and grounded in shared responsibility for our planet. This November, COP30 will convene in Belem, Brazil. Capitalizing on Notre Dame’s presence in São Paulo, Notre Dame Global and Notre Dame São Paulo will host a conference together with Notre Dame Research and the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership (NDDCEL), the week before the international climate summit.
- Catholic Peacebuilding Network releases new report on global mining, using Catholic social teaching lensNotre Dame's Catholic Peacebuilding Network released a new report, Catholic Approaches to Mining: A Framework for Reflection, Planning, and Action, a nearly 50-page report identifying the problems associated with mining — social, economic and environmental among them — and analyzing these issues through Catholic social teaching to provide a path forward for mining-affected communities.
- Karen Deak named executive director of Notre Dame’s IDEA CenterKaren Imgrund Deak has been selected as executive director of the IDEA Center at the University of Notre Dame, where she has served in the interim role since September of 2024. She will lead the unit and oversee the roll out of its recent strategic reorganization. Deak brings to the role knowledge of developing partnerships at the IDEA Center, across the University, and beyond.
