Habitat for Humanity plans groundbreaking next week

Staff report

STRUTHERS

Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning Valley will break ground at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at 56 Ridge Way Drive for the DiPaola family.

“Starting a new home is like a beautiful spring day at Habitat: full of excitement, promise and warmth,” said Monica Craven, Habitat’s executive director. “We are thrilled to have such wonderful partners to support us in changing the lives of yet another Mahoning Valley family.”

The home on Ridge Way Drive is HFHMV’s eighth house in Struthers, keeping with the organization’s goal of providing decent housing to low-income families. The home is being built for Janine DiPaola. She was chosen because she met HFHMV requirements for income, credit and willingness to partner.

She has also already completed some of the required financial planning and home-ownership classes and has saved for a down payment as part of the HFHMV program.

A majority of funds for this build were acquired by the donation of a house by Albert “Al” Gilchrist who left a property in New Middletown to HFHMV in his will. Gilchrist was an active volunteer with Habitat and helped open the Mahoning County ReStore on Youngstown-Poland Road. He died last summer.

Other sponsors for this house are Struthers through a grant, a Sign-A-Stud fundraiser, Coventry Lighting, Valley Energy Solutions, Westminster College Campus Chapter, Bike & Build, AmeriCorps, Mike & Dawn-Elaine Muder and Lowe’s.

HFHMV will raise the walls on the Struthers home in April.