Greater Plainfield Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller. Habitat International is a nonprofit, Christian housing ministry that works both to eliminate poverty housing around the world and to make adequate housing a matter of conscience and action.  Today, Habitat for Humanity is a true world leader in addressing the issues of poverty housing.

Greater Plainfield Habitat for Humanity, an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, was founded in 1989. During that year, 30,000 volunteers from HFHI took part in "Marching to Zion", a walk from Portland, Maine to Atlanta, Georgia to spread the word about HFHI's mission to end poverty housing. Plainfield, New Jersey was a stop on that walk.

Following the march, two couples from Mountainside, and one from Watchung, who had been supporting HFHI, called a meeting in Plainfield.  Noting numbers of abandoned, boarded up buildings, they realized that the Habitat model could work in Plainfield, and that Habitat's philosophy of "partnership housing" — where those in need of adequate shelter would work side by side with volunteers to build simple, decent houses — could help rebuild the City.  An exploratory committee was organized to determine if there was community-wide interest in forming a local chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

With positive response from the greater community, the group incorporated and gained non-profit status. At the end of a year, approval was sought and granted from HFHI and efforts were begun to raise funds to buy property and build the first house.

In our 20+ years, with 33 homes built or renovated, we continue to raise funds, hope to acquire more property, and invite more people to help us.