Greater Plainfield Habitat for Humanity

While others were shopping, wrapping, baking, decorating, entertaining or traveling in preparation for Christmas, 10 hearty volunteers from Mountainside’s Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes picked up hammers and shovels to help build a home in Plainfield. 

On Saturday, Dec. 10th, 2011, 10 Mountainside youth, women and men, ranging in age from 16 to 50+, volunteered their time & energy toward building a home for Habitat for Humanity.  As part of the Greater Plainfield Habitat for Humanity’s “Adopt a Day” program, the parish community of Our Lady of Lourdes in Mountainside raised more than the $2500 required to sponsor this “Adopt A Day”.  With that sponsorship, the Parish was able to send 10 volunteers to build - and build they did!  At any given time during the very chilly December day, one witnessed 3 young men digging holes, mixing concrete and filling footings for the front porch.  Toward the back of the 2-story house, 3 men were installing siding on the detached garage while the ladies were constructing decking at the back door.  The construction site was a beehive of activity until around noon when a group of Girl Scouts from Mountainside arrived with lunch for the volunteer crew.  Once fortified with sandwiches and cookies, the volunteers continued their work until the volunteer work supervisor called it a day.

Habitat for Humanity is one of the largest home builders in the United States.  Since its founding, Habitat has built, rehabilitated, repaired or improved more than 500,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 2.5 million people.  Homes are built "in partnership" by the homeowner families and volunteers.  Each homeowner family must contribute 400 hours of sweat equity in the building of their home.  Habitat provides a "hand up" not a "hand out".  The volunteers from Our Lady of Lourdes are honored to lend a hand toward making home ownership a reality for a worthy family.

PHOTO CAPTION:  Ten volunteers from the Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes in Mountainside joined the Greater Plainfield Habitat for Humanity to help build a home on Sat., Dec. 10 during an “Adopt a Day” sponsored by the Parish.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011311190015

Plainfield Habitat for Humanity seeks new volunteers

The Executive Board of the Greater Plainfield Habitat for Humanity will host Team Nite at their Plainfield headquarters on Tuesday, November 15, from 7:00 – 8:30 PM, located at 2 Randolph Road, Plainfield - corner of Park Avenue, across from Muhlenberg Hospital.  Interested new volunteers are invited “to lend a hand, not a hammer” by attending the evening to learn more about how to get involved. 

Outside of the weekly construction worksite, this local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity depends heavily on the generous efforts of volunteers. 

“You don’t have to swing a hammer to be an essential part of our work!,” comments Rev. Jeremy Montgomery, Executive Director of Greater Plainfield Habitat for Humanity.  “By joining a Team, you can become a part of the work that brings our projects to life.”

During this evening, prospective volunteers and supporters will be able to learn more and to meet each of the Team leaders.  Here is a listing of their Teams:  Faith Relations, Family Selection, Family Support, Finance, Property Acquisition, PR / Marketing, and Resource Development, aka Fundraising. 

“Let’s face it – few of us like the word ‘committee’,” says Ian Piccione, President of the Board of Trustees.  “We like to think of them as ‘teams’.”  Regardless of what the groups are called, a number of volunteer teams conduct key operations vital to the smooth functioning of Habitat's important work.

Plainfield Habitat also relies on volunteers with special skills and professional expertise. For instance, our Board of Trustees is looking for new officers:  President, Secretary, and Treasurer.  Volunteer efforts can absolutely make a difference in a family's life. 

The open house will also serve as a kick-off event as the Greater Plainfield affiliate looks to build its capacity to build more home and to serve more families.  Plainfield Habitat will embark on its first multi-unit project with the purchase of a vacant piece of land on West Seventh Street in Plainfield.  A single-family home and two duplexes will be constructed, housing five families.  Currently an overgrown, vacant, and under-utilized property in a residential neighborhood, this eight-tenths of an acre property will be converted into a lovely condominium community. 

To best understand Habitat’s program of offering homeownership to qualified families, Plainfield Habitat offers working families a hand up, not a hand out.  Every partner family contributes 200 hours of “sweat equity” per adult in their home or other homes, financed with zero interest loans provided by Habitat.  By using volunteer labor and donations of money and material from the community, they sell the houses at the cost of construction with no profit. 

Since 1989, 33 homes have been built by Plainfield Habitat, all built 100% by volunteers using tax deductible donations of money and materials.  This past summer, Plainfield Habitat has broken ground on its 34th home in Plainfield on East Sixth Street. 

For more information, or if you have any questions about volunteering, please contact their office at (908) 769-5292 or home@gphabitat.org.  And definitely check out Plainfield Habitat’s impressive website:  gphabitat.org.

Plainfield Habitat for Humanity seeks applicants for new Development

The Greater Plainfield Habitat for Humanity is currently seeking applicants for a new five-home development on West Seventh Street in Plainfield.  Anyone interested in possible ownership of a 3-bedroom, 1 ½ bath home is advised to attend an orientation session.  The next orientation date is Sunday, November 13, 2011 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at the Plainfield YMCA, 518 Watchung Avenue, Plainfield, NJ 07060- across from City Hall.  In order to submit an application, attendance is highly suggested.

Plainfield Habitat will embark on its first multi-unit project with the purchase of a vacant piece of land on West Seventh Street in Plainfield.  A single-family home and two duplexes will be constructed, housing five families.  Currently an overgrown, vacant, and under-utilized property in a residential neighborhood, this eight-tenths of an acre property will be converted into a lovely condominium community. 

Each home will be sold at the cost of construction between a range of $110-150,000 with a 0% mortgage.  Each three-bedroom home requires at least 3 occupants and no more than 6 occupants; the four-bedroom home requires at least 4 occupants and no more than 8.  The minimum total household income to qualify is $40,000. 

“Why pay rent costing $1,200 a month?” asks Rev. Jeremy Montgomery, Executive Director for Plainfield Habitat.  “By requiring no cash down payment, we help working families acquire the dream of ownership with the support of our community.”

Plainfield Habitat builds simple, decent and affordable housing, and provides homeownership opportunities for and with low income families in need.  To be considered, applicants must have lived in the Greater Plainfield area for at one year, as defined by the municipalities of North Plainfield, South Plainfield, Dunellen, Fanwood, Scotch Plains, Westfield, Piscataway, and the City of Plainfield.  Each year, Plainfield Habitat receives numerous applications for its program, and their volunteer Family Selection Team evaluates partner families based on three main criteria:  need, ability to pay, and willingness to partner. 

All else being equal, Plainfield Habitat selects the families in the greatest need for decent, affordable housing.  Through extensive interviews and home visits, the Family Selection Team recommends a short list of families for approval by the Board of Trustees.  Habitat partner families then must be able to demonstrate that they can pay the 20-year mortgage they will have on their homes.  Partner families must also be willing to invest “sweat equity” into the construction of their home and other Habitat homes.  In addition, families must attend a series of courses in homeownership and financial management.

To best understand Habitat’s program of offering homeownership to qualified families, Plainfield Habitat offers working families a hand up, not a hand out.  Every partner family contributes 200 hours of “sweat equity” per adult in their home or other homes, financed with zero interest loans provided by Habitat.  By using volunteer labor and donations of money and material from the community, they sell the houses at the cost of construction with no profit. 

Since 1989, 33 homes have been built by Plainfield Habitat, all built 100% by volunteers using tax deductible donations of money and materials.  This past summer, Plainfield Habitat has broken ground on its 34th home in Plainfield on East Sixth Street. 

Applications are available on their website, www.gphabitat.org or by calling their office at 908-769-5292.

High school senior Tyler Varian is on a mission - to engage his fellow students and teachers with the work of Habitat for Humanity in Plainfield.

Advised by teacher, Trish Ianuzzi, weekly after-school meetings are attracting up to 50 students in this campus club.

The purpose of this club is to work with the Habitat for Humanity to build houses that are both energy efficient and affordable for families in need.  In this way, they plan to give back to our community and better our world. 

Recognizing that Habitat for Humanity is fueled by monetary donations, along with volunteer work, this is where they see their purpose.  

The process of building a house for a family in need is a communal effort. Habitat for Humanity does not give away houses by any means; everyone works together, including and especially the family receiving the house.  In addition to a down payment and monthly mortgage payments for the remaining balance on the house, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor (sweat equity) into building their Habitat house and the houses of others.  We work alongside the families we are building the homes for, removing the labor costs and helping them out in more ways than one.

The plans for the club are simple: we will provide "volunteer labor" and hold fundraisers to raise money for the family's housing costs.  They will have scheduled "build times" where we will travel to nearby build sites and work on constructing and finishing the homes.

For those students at Westfield High School who like building or if those simply who want a fun and rewarding way to give back, this is the club for you. 

Tyler has build a new website to mobilize his school - www.whshabitat.com.  On it there is an online forum which is currently collecting fundraising ideas.