Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity received a grant from the First Federal Charitable Foundation that it will use to rehabilitate a house on Market Street in Pittston Township.
Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity officials said the three-bedroom, 1,200 square-foot home will “provide simple, decent housing for a family who otherwise would not have the opportunity for homeownership.” The funding will help offset a portion of the expenses for building materials in an effort to keep the mortgage for the family at no more than 30 percent of their gross income. The project is expected to be completed by June 2021.
Karen Evans Kaufer, the organization’s executive director, said, “Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity knows that good housing is the key to helping our community recover and thrive. Now more than ever, financial support is invaluable to our organization. We have a tried and tested partnership approach that make families in need of shelter a key part of their own housing solution. We work hard with volunteers and donors who invest time and money into the partnership so that families in need of housing can help build, then buy, their own home on terms they can afford.”
Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity, which was founded in 1992, is a nonprofit organization that builds homes to sell to families in need. The organization has completed 26 houses that provide affordable homes for families in the area. Collectively, its approximately 700 volunteers contribute more than 3,000 hours of service to each project.
Kaufer said the support Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity has received from the First Federal Charitable Foundation is a valuable asset in helping the organization with its mission to help low-income families qualify for homeownership.
“We are delighted to have First Federal Charitable Foundation partnering with Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity to support the work we do in the community building simple, decent homes to sell to families who otherwise would not have an opportunity for homeownership. Organizations like First Federal Charitable Foundation make our work possible,” she said.
The First Federal Charitable Foundation was established to support worthwhile community causes. It strives to nurture nonprofit institutions and programs that will effectively serve those in need from the community, empower nonprofit institutions and programs that will expand their presence in and services to the area, and promote opportunities for new nonprofit institutions and programs that will serve the unserved.
Nonprofit organizations with a 501(c)(3) IRS designation that are located in Luzerne, Schuylkill, Carbon and Columbia counties are eligible to apply. Any organization whose headquarters is in another county but services either Luzerne, Schuylkill, Carbon or Columbia counties may apply for a grant to be used in one of those counties.