Cathy Brittain ran to the door to greet her son, Jalen, who returned home Saturday after spending several days with his grandfather.

“Hi, son!” she said.

They embraced, and she kissed him three times on the head.

“Take your shoes off, mister,” she said, so Jalen wouldn’t dirty the carpet of their brand-new home.

Brittain and her three children are the first residents in the Comfort Neighborhood, a new development in North Lawrence.

Next door, Sally Dillon painted inside her new home, where she and her family will move in next month.

“Great start to the new year,” she said.

Workers pounded away on another new home going up in the cul-de-sac, near the 800 block of Walnut Street.

“This is recreation for me,” said Jill Shelley as she measured a section of drywall.

Thin sheets of plywood and drywall scraps slapped in the fresh mud served as makeshift walkways between the homes.

Farther down the street, foundation has been laid for more new homes.

This isn’t just any development; it’s a special one for 16 struggling families.

Each Saturday, Lawrence Habitat for Humanity volunteers work to build homes in the community from the ground up.

“We get more out of it than we give,” said Ellie Pedersen, volunteer. “It’s a wonderful experience.”

The needy families purchase the finished homes for only the cost of materials, on an interest-free mortgage. In exchange, they’re required to put about 450 hours of labor into building the homes.

Since 1989, the charity and its volunteers have built 61 homes in and around Lawrence, said Jean Lilley, executive director.

With a home completed about every two months, volunteers are on track to finish all 16 homes in the Comfort Neighborhood by the spring of 2009.

“We just keep rolling,” Lilley said. “The community has really stepped forward to help us meet our goals.”

“Everyone can take pride in our neighborhood,” Brittain said. “This is something that we have together built.”

Brittain said she’s already made memories from her new home.

“On Christmas night, after Santa had come … the kids were asleep … I just got on my knees and I started bawling and thanking Jesus, because it was just a total blessing.”