×

Habitat for Humanity merges with northern neighbors

Habitat for Humanity members of the northern Columbiana County affiliate Dave Bedell (right), and Barb Loudon (next to Bedell) joined Habitat for Humanity members of the Mahoning Valley David Redig and Monica Craven on Thursday in Columbiana to announce that the two affiliates would be merging beginning Jan. 1. The group is standing in front of the last home constructed through the Columbiana County affiliate. The home is located on Beverly Drive. (Photo by Katie White)

COLUMBIANA — A house on Beverly Drive that took about six months to build was the last to be constructed through the Habitat for Humanity of Northern Columbiana County.

On Thursday, standing on the property of the home built at 80 Beverly Drive, members of the Habitat for Humanity of Northern Columbiana County announced it would be merging with the Habitat for Humanity of the Mahoning Valley, retaining the name of Habitat for Humanity of the Mahoning Valley.

The merger is slated for Jan. 1, 2017 and the organization will serve Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

Barb Loudon, executive director for the northern Columbiana County habitat, said the merger will streamline operations in the wake of “vast changes” in the mortgage industry.

“We have new levels of compliance that make it very difficult for a small habitat to do well,” she said.

The changes will affect habitats all across the country, and the local merger is not the first one for the overall organization.

Dave Bedell, board of directors president for the northern Columbiana County habitat, said affiliates in the state dropped from 72 to 51 as a result of the changes.

In fact, the Mahoning County habitat merged with Trumbull County’s just last year.

“Everyone has seen changes in what we do and how we do them,” David Redig, board of directors president of the Habitat for Humanity of the Mahoning Valley said, recalling that when he first joined habitat about eight years ago, it was mainly focused on home construction.

Now the organization can perform rehabilitation of homes in addition to continuing to serve the community through its Restore stores.

“There are a lot of ways we can serve these communities and these families,” Redig said.

Mahoning Valley habitat executive director Monica Craven said there will be a Restore store in each of the three counties, and Loudon said the existing stores in Salem and Struthers will still operate.

She also said the habitat office and warehouse space in Salem through the northern Columbiana County habitat will be kept up through the new merged habitat.

“We were really blessed that we had the option of merging with other larger and stronger habitats in the area that we would not cease to exist. We are part of the Mahoning Valley so joining the habitat of the Mahoning Valley makes sense,” Loudon said.

The habitat efforts to provide affordable housing and community development take volunteers and funding and land, she pointed out, all of which are necessary to continue serving the communities.

“We anticipate that with all of the elements it takes to build we will continue building,” she said.

The Beverly Drive home was the 39th home completed by the Columbiana County habitat. It is a three-bedroom, 1,100-square-foot home, which is a standard size for habitat homes, Bedell said.

Collectively, the Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana county habitats have created home ownership opportunities for more than 135 families throughout the three service area.

Craven said that in order to build a home it is important to find a location that has access to public water and sewer services.

She added that the merger will allow the new habitat to implement services in the southern part of Columbiana County, which has not had a habitat presence.

“East Liverpool may be where we start,” she said, adding that the habitat has had several contacts from people in that area requesting services.

“That is one of the areas we are exploring,” she said.

A Christian ministry, Habitat for Humanity builds houses for qualified low income families and individuals and sells them for no profit, with affordable mortgage payments and zero percent interest.

All families are required to do 250 to 500 hours of “sweat equity” and attend homeowner classes.

For more information, or to volunteer, call 330-743-7233 ext. 302 or email volunteer@habitatmahoning.org.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.39/week.

Subscribe Today