Habitat families will be neighbors

Two Youngstown families will see the walls of their new homes go up Saturday.

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — Foundations for a new life have been laid for two Youngstown women.

The walls to protect those foundations will go up Saturday as Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning County continues construction on new homes for the families of Pamela Gibbs and Wendy Heard on Maranatha Drive on the city’s East Side.

“These families have been with [working with Habitat] for more than two years,” said Executive Director Monica Craven.

“They are really hard-working ladies who just needed these houses,” she said.

Habitat is expecting a group of about 75 volunteers Saturday to raise the walls for houses number 29 and 30 built in Mahoning County during the organization’s 20 years.

The families will be on-site as part of their 250 to 300 hours of “sweat equity,” which is volunteer work that includes working in the Habitat office, on other Habitat projects and on their houses. Since the families don’t make a down payment on their house, the sweat equity takes the place of a down payment, Craven said.

“We want to see that they are committed to their house,” she said.

More than 25 volunteers from St. Charles Borromeo Parish of Boardman also will be building, as well as supplying lunch for the crew. Other volunteers include the Westminster College Habitat chapter including members of the school’s football team, loyal Habitat volunteers and first-timers.

Work on Saturday starts at 8:45 a.m., but construction for the two houses will go until June 20, so volunteers can step in at any time, Craven said.

“Volunteering for Habitat is a much fun as you’ll ever have,” she said.

“You don’t even need to know which side of the hammer is the right side, we’ll teach you everything you need to know,” Craven said.

Work on the houses for the Gibbs and Heard families will take three months, and Habitat is hoping to build at least two more houses this year.

If interested in volunteering visit www.hfhofmc.org or call (330) 743-7244 for a schedule of work times.

“You actually get to see the fruits of your labor,” Craven said of why volunteering for Habitat is such a special experience.

Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning County is a faith-based, ecumenical, nonprofit builder of simple, decent and affordable homes for God’s low income people in our community.