{"id":6233,"date":"2026-05-19T10:39:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T14:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/?page_id=6233"},"modified":"2026-05-19T10:39:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T14:39:06","slug":"building-homes-building-futures","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2023\/features\/building-homes-building-futures\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Homes, Building Futures"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Mary Howard<\/em><\/p>\n

Though they both graduated from Trinity College, Karraine Moody \u201901 and Gregg Lewis IDP\u201993 were strangers before collaborating recently on the building of an energy efficient concrete home in Hartford. It was their shared interest in the welfare of people in the state\u2019s capital city and beyond that connected them, says Moody, CEO of Habitat for Humanity<\/em>\u00a0of North Central Connecticut (HHNCC). \u201cWe both want to support people at a local, national, and global level,\u201d she says. Lewis, chief communications officer for the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA), notes, \u201cI believe we all have a responsibility to help those in need.\u201d<\/p>\n

In March 2021, Habitat for Humanity joined Build With Strength, an NRMCA initiative, to construct concrete homes in 16 locations across the country. These homes\u2014built with expanded polystyrene forms that are fitted together and then filled with concrete\u2014are durable, fire resistant, and cheaper to heat and cool than a typical home, says Lewis. \u201cWe\u2019re building in a way that allows the owner to incur less [energy] expense, while providing solid walls that are resistant to anything Mother Nature might throw at them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Habitat for Humanity affiliates across the country expressed a great deal of interest, says Lewis. After a deliberate selection process, they chose 50 affiliates to collaborate with over the next two years. And the one in Hartford was one of them.<\/p>\n

Moody was thrilled. \u201cI thought it was a great way to make [net-zero-energy homes] affordable to first-time homeowners,\u201d she says. In addition, the use of concrete instead of lumber would save her organization thousands of dollars in building costs. \u201cLumber prices are really high, and we are trying to find alternative ways to build affordable housing.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Karraine Moody \u201901, Gregg Lewis IDP\u201993, and Tammy Lubin smile for a selfie on the front porch of Lubin\u2019s new Hartford home.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The team broke ground for the house, located on Cleveland Avenue, in June 2021. A year later, Lewis handed the keys to Tammy Lubin, a customer service manager for a local supermarket chain. Claiming ownership of the attractive, two-story home was a dream come true for Lubin, who emigrated from St. Lucia in 2011. \u201cThis is a launchpad for my son,\u201d she told a reporter for WFSB, a Hartford-area television station. \u201cI started from nothing. My son doesn\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of her path to homeownership, Lubin contributed 150 hours in \u201csweat equity\u201d to HHNCC, working on her own house and those of others. \u201cI think a lot of people are of the opinion\u00a0that [Habitat for Humanity] gives away homes for free,\u201d she says. \u201cThe program simply gives you a chance to meet the homebuyer requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Families must be committed to get through the process, says Moody. HHNCC hosts meetings for potential homeowners twice yearly, but more than half of the 100 families who apply each year won\u2019t qualify because of debt or low income, she says. \u201cEach year, we have 45 to 50 families competing for 10 to 12 homes,\u201d which breaks Moody\u2019s heart, she says. \u201cThe reality is [many] families aren\u2019t going to make it.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the end of this year, Build With Strength expects to complete 70 homes in 32 states, says<\/p>\n

Lewis, who grew up in Deep River and Hartford. But it is the Hartford house that has been most meaningful to him. \u201cComing home to Hartford to deliver sustainable results for the people living there has been very gratifying,\u201d he says. \u201cBringing that ideal into this project with Karraine\u2019s team makes it even more special.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was during the planning phase for the Hartford house that the two realized their Trinity connection. While on a Zoom meeting, Moody noticed a framed Trinity diploma hanging on the wall behind Lewis\u2019s desk. \u201cI thought, \u2018No way! He went to Trinity?\u2019 \u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo by Joanna Chattman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt was a fun realization,\u201d adds Lewis.<\/p>\n

Both agree that their experiences at Trinity helped foster their interests in helping others. \u201cMaking a commitment to have a positive impact wherever we work is a vital part of what I learned at Trinity,\u201d says Lewis, who describes his college education as \u201cless than traditional.\u201d Though he matriculated in 1982, it was 11 years before he graduated through the Individualized Degree Program with a degree in art history. \u201cI spent a lot of time working and figuring out my path,\u201d he says. Along the way, classes with Professor of Fine Arts Kathleen Curran helped spark his interest in architecture, \u201cnot just as a career, but as a way to impact my community.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also credits his stepfather, the late David Winer, who was dean of students at Trinity for 22 years and a faculty member for nearly four decades, with developing his sense of equity and justice. \u201cHe was a tireless advocate of students of all stripes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lewis graduated from Yale School of Architecture in 1998. Over the years, he has held a variety of positions in the field, including spending a year and a half in Haiti to help rebuild the country following the 2010 earthquake.<\/p>\n

In 2015, he joined the NRMCA, where part of his work is to \u201ctell the story of how concrete building provides a better quality of life.\u201d Because concrete homes are cost effective, resilient, and easier to heat and cool, they can play an important role in providing affordable housing, says Lewis. \u201cIt\u2019s not just in places like San Francisco or New York City. The lack of affordable housing is impacting every community across the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

Notes Moody, \u201cEveryone is talking about solar, but they should be talking about concrete.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Hartford native, Moody spent time on the Trinity campus in high school as part of Upward Bound, a national program that helps increase the rate of college graduates among low-income students and those whose parents do not have bachelor\u2019s degrees. \u201cTrinity was a great fit for me,\u201d she says. \u201cThere was so much going on. The campus energy matched my energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Initially, Moody planned to major in engineering. \u201cMy dad was in construction,\u201d she says. However, conversations with professors including Stephen Valocchi from the Sociology Department and Alta Lash, now deceased, who taught a community internship seminar, led her to design her own major in community development. At Trinity, she shadowed community organizers, volunteered for a Habitat for Humanity build, and graduated knowing exactly what she wanted to do in the world, \u201cto change people\u2019s lives and create a better community.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Trinity, she served as a work-life coordinator at United Technologies and, later, a manager of the community technology center for Hartford Public Schools. In 2005, she joined Habitat as family services director, rising to the role of CEO in 2014. Moody, who holds a master\u2019s in organizational management from the University of Phoenix, says she is blessed to have a career where she helps individuals and families achieve their dreams.<\/p>\n

Though they don\u2019t have definitive plans to build another concrete-insulated house, Moody and Lewis say they are confident it will happen. \u201cFrom the outset, Karraine recognized the benefit this type of build would have to her homeowners,\u201d says Lewis.<\/p>\n

Says Moody, \u201cIt has been a joy working with Gregg and his team. We are going to continue to implement this system. These are strong, fortified, energy-efficient homes that are not a financial burden to homeowners. What more can you ask for?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Mary Howard Though they both graduated from Trinity College, Karraine Moody \u201901 and Gregg Lewis IDP\u201993 were strangers before collaborating recently on the building of an energy efficient concrete home in Hartford. 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