Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity (PVHH) builds homes, hope, and communities in Franklin and Hampshire Counties. PVHH is a housing ministry dedicated to strengthening communities by empowering low-income families to change their lives and the lives of future generations through homeownership opportunities. This is accomplished by working in partnership with diverse people, from all walks of life, to build simple, decent, affordable housing. Habitat’s mission to provide homeownership opportunities to low-income families is unique as it requires partner families to work alongside the community that is reaching out to help them. Each Habitat partner family provides at least 200 hours of “sweat equity,” or physical labor, toward the construction of their own home, other Habitat family homes, and special projects. Habitat partner families are selected based on three specific criteria:
• Ability to pay a zero-percent interest mortgage
• Need for simple, decent shelter
• Willingness to partner with the organization, sponsors and community volunteers
Since it was formed, PVH has raised funds from individuals, corporations, churches, and foundations to build homes. Thirty-three families have become homeowners, twenty of them headed by single mothers, two by single fathers. Thirty-three adults and seventy-seven children have lived in PVH homes. Additionally, our tithe has also built at least an equal number of homes in Haiti, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. Our families have become integral, tax-paying members of their communities; their mortgage payments help to build more Habitat homes.
