When Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity launched a new program in Roseville, surprising links to beloved volunteer Elmer “Bud” Helmen emerged.
Bud was a bricklayer by trade who is renowned for starting Bud’s Bunch, one of the longest existing regular crews of volunteers in Twin City Habitat’s history. Bud’s Bunch is still going strong today under the leadership of Ron Kuhn, and has grown from about 10 regular volunteers in its earliest days to a roster of over 20 committed people today. In 2028, the crew will celebrate its 40-year anniversary.
Ron credits Bud for the success of the crew, describing him as a “calm, gentle guy; a good teacher and a quiet leader,” noting that he was modest. “Bud was not looking for limelight or praise,” Ron said, “but just doing a job.”
Rhonda Thorson, Habitat Home Building Project Manager, also paints a picture of a caring and competent individual. She called Bud “the sweetest man you’ll ever meet in your life,” and reminisced about watching Bud assist a hired contractor as he “worked circles around this guy one-third his age, slinging bricks in his 80s.”
Bud passed away in 2022 at age 96 in his home in Roseville—a city where Twin Cities Habitat is now working.
The City of Roseville and its Economic Development Authority (EDA) reached out to Twin Cities Habitat in 2021, and together the two entities created a first-of-its-kind Acquisition Rehab Partnership Program with a first-ring suburb. The goal is for Habitat to acquire one to four Roseville homes per year, with the Roseville EDA providing financial support for acquisition and rehab, and Habitat fixing up and selling the homes to first-time homebuyers who meet income restrictions and other requirements. The City of Roseville, in partnership with Habitat, led a unique marketing strategy that sent direct mail to 900 residents (targeting homes that fell within Habitat’s acquisition price range, based on Ramsey County’s tax‑assessed values). The flyers described Twin Cities Habitat’s mission and home acquisition parameters, and have been effective in attracting mission-aligned sellers.
Twin Cities Habitat acquired its first Roseville home in 2022 and now has 17 units purchased, currently under construction, built or sold—a number that Jessica Coyle, Habitat Real Estate Development Manager, noted is “a lot of inventory in four years. The ongoing commitment from the city has allowed us to continue at this volume.” In fact, the partnership has been so successful that Twin Cities Habitat is using it as a guide to create similar programs in Burnsville, Brooklyn Park, and Maplewood.
Among the “constellation” of Habitat’s Roseville homes is a house on Ryan Street that the Roseville Lutheran Church had owned and most recently operated as a daycare. Coincidentally, Bud was a long-time member and active volunteer at the church, where he also recruited fellow congregation members to his Habitat crew. It seemed to the team to be serendipitous … But this would not be the last place that Bud’s fingerprints were found in Roseville.
The Habitat crew was later working on a house on Dunlap Street, where nearby neighbors watched progress and approached Habitat about selling their own house. Twin Cities Habitat acquired this second home, on 2560 Dunlap, and shared the address with its Regular Crews as a future work site. Bud’s Bunch leader, Ron, immediately recognized the home: Bud and his wife had lived there years ago (before moving to another house in the neighborhood). Bud had even laid some bricks at the house, and he and his wife planted the trees that still stand in the yard. The Habitat team and volunteer crews were delighted by yet another unexpected tie to Bud.
What at first seemed like a series of coincidental connections to Bud’s history are revealed as signs of a life deeply woven into Roseville—among the same neighborhoods that Twin Cities Habitat now serve. Bud’s years of community investment is mapped right into the geography; while his legacy also continues with the crew that bears his name.
Ron affirms that the team will be called Bud’s Bunch “forever,” and explained how they carry forward Bud’s ethos of helping volunteers learn and grow. Ron is especially proud of how highly regarded the crew is, explaining that the Site Supervisors often give Bud’s Bunch the toughest jobs because “they know we have the skills, patience and knowledge to do stuff, from framing to finishing.”
Rehab work on Bud’s old house will start in Spring 2026. When asked if Bud’s Bunch would work on the project, Ron said, “I hope so! We better get some time on that house.”