Page 18 - AUGUST2021

Page 18 NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM July 2021 Community
Pemi-Valley Habitat for Humanity: Building Homes,
By BRittany amalfi
The Pemi-Valley Habitat for Humanity has indeed given back to the community, and they don’t plan on stopping any time soon. Pemi-Valley is part of a non-profit organization aiming to help fam- ilies in need by building homes, communities, and hope. Habitat for Humanity is so much more than building homes for families; they seek to empower them as well.
Frank McClain, Executive Di- rector of Pemi-Valley Habitat for Humanity, talked to me about how their own organization worked. They work with families who fall in the 30% to 80% median in- come range in need of help from the community. McClain made it clear that their mission is not to make money but to end housing poverty. However, the executive director informed me that it’s the families that help Habitat for Humanity reach their goals. Mc-
Communities, and Hope
Clain noted that their success rate jumped when the families they were building the homes for were more involved. Pemi-Valley sets a budget, works with the family, and builds them an affordable house. When the family is on the sight of the build, it makes for a much more beneficial experience for everyone involved. “We want the families to have the ability to take care of themselves in their long- term living situations. The goal is to have families think about long- term security as opposed to living paycheck to paycheck. Pemi-Val- ley wants people to develop good saving skills, so they have long term benefits,” McClain said. “Seeing people beat the cycle of day to day, paycheck by paycheck living is a big element here. It’s all about thoughtful collaboration with the families here.”
The more items donated to Pemi-Valley’s ReStore, the more opportunities they have to cater to the families they work with. Land
donations are always needed as well. McClain said they want ev- erything to be affordable as they don’t build the homes as cheaply as possible. They remain thought- ful in their building process and
other nonprofits to help build these homes, and they really help, especially with supplies. Other than nonprofits, Habitat for Hu- manity also has volunteers show up on sight to support the build. A goal is to make sure the vol- unteers get to know and connect with the families to see the long- term benefits of this whole orga- nization. When the volunteers see the benefits of the families in the home—kids playing in the front yard, students taking graduation pictures, mom and dad in the gar- den—they see what Habitat for Humanity is all about.
Currently, Pemi-Valley Hab- itat for Humanity builds on Fri- days and Saturdays, but McClain wants to extend to all days, so they have more opportunities. They have a build starting in Plym- outh and two parcels of land in Franklin, where they are looking for volunteers to help guide those builds. For those interested in vol- unteering, you can go to the web- site, pemivalleyhabitat.org, and locate their email. There is also a volunteer page located right on Facebook people can check out. McClain stated that there is al- ways a need, and the turnout of qualified candidates for housing is becoming much more significant, so that any volunteers would be greatly appreciated! McClain, the
hard-working executive director, is willing to make anything work with this program so long as they can build these homes for fami- lies in need while helping them in learning how to think about their lives long term. Pemi-Val- ley’s team will do what they can to make mortgage payments afford- able and customizable for their families so they can help improve their lives. “Truly, I feel like there’s always an opportunity for people to help out,” McClain stated.
Pemi-Valley’s notable work has genuinely impacted the com- munity, and there’s no stopping here. Their goals and mission are to improve the quality of life for families in need so that they can be active members of the com- munity. When asked about their impact, McClain said, “We’re building, and we’re not going to stop building. We want to be in- strumental in improving people’s lives.”
Pemi-Valley Habitat for Hu- manity makes a tremendous difference for families and the community, and maybe it’s some- thing we can all be a part of. When we all come together to help improve the quality of life, our community grows into a won- derful, safe space for all. So let’s get to it.
always try to be a little creative when the families are involved. “Wealth to me is the ability to solve a crisis,” McClain stated, and with Habitat for Humanity’s mission, they do everything they can to solve those crises.
Pemi-Valley also partners with
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