Housing named after Pope Leo creates what he longs for: hope

Early and often in his tenure as Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV has spoken about the importance of safeguarding and promoting hope, human dignity and the family as the core unit of social good.

In line with the first American pontiff’s teaching, an anonymous donor has pledged money to improve lives by building Pope Leo Villages through Habitat for Humanity. They are being established in roughly 20 communities nationwide, including one in north-central Omaha, on the former site of a beleaguered apartment complex.

The local project is being spearheaded by Habitat for Humanity of Omaha as part of its Bluestem Prairie project, with volunteers from Catholic parishes across Omaha helping to construct homes as part of the larger effort to build hope in the form of a new neighborhood.

“I just can’t stress enough how privileged I feel, like Omaha is to be able to be a participant in this, and just the way it’s bringing lots of different church communities together,” said Danna Plummer, a member of Omaha’s Pope Leo Village steering committee. “The Pope is quite an influential person in the whole world, and for us to have this opportunity is quite amazing.”

A volunteer helps with a truss. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF OMAHA

That opportunity took substantial work before any construction took place.

The undulating hills and mature trees north of the intersection of 52nd Street and Sorensen Parkway characterize the future site of the Pope Leo Village. For years it had been marred by trash and tires left after the former Wintergreen Apartments complex was bulldozed. The area required substantial cleanup and infrastructure work before a new neighborhood could take shape.

Sal Robles, a parishioner at Omaha’s St. Frances Cabrini Parish who also works in the communications department at Habitat, learned about the project at work but soon began mobilizing volunteers from his parish.

What began earlier in the year with a press conference, beam signing and wall raising has progressed. Now various volunteer groups from churches across the Omaha area – with Catholics working alongside people of other faiths and backgrounds – strive to bring forth a beacon of hope from an area once associated with despair.

The project, Robles said, “takes all of us.”

“It takes the anonymous donor. It takes the people laying the stage. It takes the people building the house. It even takes the family having the courage to apply and become a family partner with us.”

Creighton University students add siding to a home. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF OMAHA

Maddie Li, a senior at Creighton University and president of the campus’ Habitat for Humanity Club, attended the initial wall raising for the Pope Leo Village. She said the project stands out for its size and impact.

“With this one, everyone who’s involved has done a really good job getting everything set up and really pushing what an important project this is,” she said. “Not just because it’s in Pope Leo’s name, but because it’s a dedicated project to helping people, which I really appreciated.”

Once the Pope Leo Village is completed, it will include 20 homes, part of a larger community of roughly 150 houses dotted with parks, sport courts, and other brand-new amenities.

Robles and his fellow parishioners have been some of the most active in working on the Pope Leo Village from its earliest days. The parish’s pastor, Father Damian Zuerlein, talked to the donor at the kickoff event and learned about the impact the pope’s words had on bringing the project to life.

“He just really wanted to make a difference in people’s lives and follow what Leo was challenging people, to truly put what Jesus teaches into practice,” Father Zuerlein said. “That this can be done. That you can truly make a difference. You can change a life.”

Grace Mally of Habitat for Humanity shows her appreciation for Pope Leo XIV. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF OMAHA

The lives being changed aren’t limited to those who will live in Pope Leo Village.

“If you saw that two years ago, it’s just amazing how that development has come along,” Plummer said. “Oh, my – it just makes your heart flutter. It’s such a proud feeling to know what Omaha is doing to try to help with the housing crisis.”

The embodiment of this project’s impact was immediately evident when work began on the Pope Leo Village.

Residents of the adjacent new development celebrated alongside volunteers as work began on a new effort, inspired from Rome, to improve human dignity for Omahans.

“We’re celebrating this portion that’s going to be the Pope Leo Village, and you see kids looking outside of their window, waving at us with their smiling faces,” Robles said, as the once problematic neighorbhood is being transformed. “This great positivity came out of something that was just not good for some people, and that’s hopeful to me.

“And I think that kind of stands with Pope Leo’s message about bringing hope.”

Medical students from Creighton University were among the volunteer builders this summer. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF OMAHA

Another group, from St. Columbkille Parish in Papillion, lends a hand. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF OMAHA

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