Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity, and a who's who of political and nonprofit leaders, broke ground Thursday on a modular home project in Collinwood.

Why it matters: Cleveland's housing shortage is a problem "whose magnitude stretches into the billions" of dollars, said Jeff Epstein, Cleveland's chief of integrated development.

· Modular homes like the 10 to be built on the vacant land at East 164th Street and Grovewood Avenue can be constructed quickly and, when built at scale, affordably.

By the numbers: The homes will be three-bed, two-bath, 1,350-square-foot residences with full basements and garages — a priority for area Councilman Mike Polensek, who wanted owners to be able to raise families and age in place there.

· Habitat for Humanity will serve as the lender and sell the homes with no-interest loans, ensuring the mortgages represent no more than 30% of each household's income.

The big picture: Habitat hopes to install 19 modular homes in Cleveland by the end of the year, part of a "400 Home" regional initiative that stretches through 2027.

· The homes are built by Champion Homes offsite, at its factory in Sugarcreek, Ohio.

· Construction is funded largely with $5 million in federal stimulus funds allocated by Cleveland City Council. Cuyahoga County is chipping in $20,000 per unit as well.

What they're saying: "The vision for 400 homes is important, but the reality is we need far more than that," Epstein said. "We need 4,000 — probably 40,000 — and we have to be better as a city to bring more housing into Cleveland."

Earlier this month, Habitat installed four modular homes on vacant land in Ward 15 that Councilwoman Jenny Spencer had set aside for affordable housing construction.

The bottom line: "Modular homes may go up quickly," Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) wrote in a letter read at a Wednesday press conference.

· "But they will provide long-lasting, safe and affordable housing for families in the neighborhood."