It is getting to the time of year when housing projects start up in Greene County with Heart of Iowa Habitat for Humanity.

However, Executive Director Jeff Lamoureux says work is at a standstill due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The non-profit organization has historically done Helping Hands projects, where volunteers make exterior repairs or additions to owner-occupied homes. Lamoureux explains how COVID-19 has forced them to delay housing projects in the County.

“Our volunteers are very important to us, all of our work is done with volunteers. So their safety is very important to us, both when they’re working and when they’re not. We just decided we needed to just shut down, keep everybody safe through this until we get some more information.”

Lamoureux says they have some qualified applications for the Helping Hands program, which he hopes to start up after Memorial Day. However, he fears there might be fewer volunteers due to the uncertainty with COVID-19.