Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plainfield and Middlesex County, a faith-based charitable nonprofit dedicated to building affordable housing for low and moderate income families, will be constructing a home in the Borough of Highland Park in 2015. Construction will begin in the summer on a piece of property (Lot 25, Block 62, South !0th Avenue) donated to Habitat by the Borough of Highland Park a few months ago.
To implement this project, Habitat just launched its first ever online CrowdBuild through a crowd funding website, Amp Your Good.
This home will serve a family who was displaced by Hurricane Sandy and who needs a permanent place to live.
Through the new online platform, donors can support Habitat by purchasing actual building materials and supplies for the Highland Park home. Potential donors can go to the campaign page, browse through the materials needed, and pick out the specific items they want to buy. The items are purchased from a local Home Depot and then sent directly to the worksite in Highland Park. To join the campaign, visit www.gphabitat.org to explore more details.
“The Highland Park CrowdBuild allows us to get the exact materials we need delivered directly to us, at no extra cost to donors,” said Allie Whitefleet, Outreach Coordinator at Habitat of Greater Plainfield and Middlesex County. “This campaign simplifies the whole process making it more efficient and interactive, and even eliminates the expensive overhead costs usually associated with such large-scale fundraisers.”
This specific Habitat home will be sold to the Estevez family of Sayreville. After losing everything and being displaced by Hurricane Sandy, this family will spend 400 hours in “sweat equity” building along side volunteers and a core construction crew. This opportunity fulfills their dream of becoming homeowners in a community like Highland Park.
“This new home will be a testament to the generous spirit of our friends in the Highland Park community, who will freely give their time and resources to eliminate poverty housing,” said Rev. Jeremy Montgomery, Executive Director at Habitat. “The end result from the commitment of our donors and volunteers will have a life-changing impact on another family, especially a family devastated by Hurricane Sandy.”
The home will be sold to the family with a zero-interest fixed mortgage provided directly by Habitat. The contract will have a 30-year deed restriction that allows modest equity upon resale, but mandates that the home be sold to another qualifying low-income family.
One hundred percent of all items raised through the Highland Park CrowdBuild will go into the building of the brand new three-bedroom single-family home on South Tenth Avenue.
Anyone interested in volunteering or donating to help construct this home is encouraged to visit www.gphabitat.org to find information. For volunteering, fill out a ‘Volunteer Interest Form’ as an individual and/or to fill out a “Group Reservation Form.” Additional information on the home can be found at www.gphabitat.org/highland-park.
Will this home have any special tax treatment?