Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity

Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity envisions a world where everyone in Somerset and Hunterdon County has a decent place to live. RVHFH continually strives towards this vision.

Seeking to put God's love into action, Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope.
The Habitat partnership homebuilding model builds so much more than an affordable home. Lives are transformed, and these transformations ripple through the community and affect generations to come. Bridges of understanding are built as volunteers work alongside an individual or family willing to invest 250 – 500 hours in building a strong, stable, self-reliant future.

A "hand-up" to a low- or moderate-income homeowner in need of critical home safety repairs or aging-in-place modifications can make an incredible difference. It allows homeowners to continue to live safely, independently, and comfortably in their homes. In some cases, this assistance is what allows an individual to remain in their home.

Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity's strategies for making this happen are:
1. To grow our revenues.
2. To grow volunteer engagement and retention on the affiliate's committees and at the Habitat ReStore.
3. To increase land acquisition and builds.
4. To increase staff size, satisfaction, and retention.

The Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors updated and revised the 3-year strategic plan in 2019, and the Board members, RVHFH staff and volunteers are all engaged in bringing this plan to fruition. Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity has a strong desire to grow their impact in Somerset and Hunterdon Counties.

Working with many groups, RVHFH has a proven track record of planning, developing, and constructing simple, decent, affordable homes that meet the needs of municipalities and complement the existing homes in the neighborhood. Since 1991, RVHFH has built 52 homes, providing brighter tomorrows to 52 families with the help of the community. Currently, RVHFH, a low-income partner homeowner family, and the community are completing our 53rd home in Franklin Township. In Spring 2020, RVHFH will begin construction on a Habitat Home in Montgomery Township.

In October 2018, RVHFH launched a Habitat ReStore in Manville, New Jersey, to raise critical funds and awareness so RVHFH can provide the opportunity to own an affordable home to many more low-and moderate-income individuals and families. The RVHFH ReStore will help deepen and sustain RVHFH's impact on the community for many years to come. The store celebrated its first-year anniversary on Saturday, October 26, 2019. Our Habitat ReStore is serving the community by providing a place for community members to come together to engage in the worthwhile cause of accepting gently used donations of household goods from the public, keeping them out of landfills, and selling them to the general public at bargain prices. Wonderful stories of individuals and families being able to find and afford family necessities warm the hearts of those that support this aspect of RVHFH's mission. All net proceeds from the Habitat ReStore are used to support the mission of RVHFH.

So far, Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity has:

1. Engaged hundreds of community volunteers to support home builds, family selection, outreach and advocacy, property acquisition, and the Habitat ReStore.

2. Transformed the lives of 53 low- and moderate-income individuals and families by providing a path to affordable homeownership and extending a 0% interest mortgage based on their income level.

3. Increased availability of affordable housing in Hunterdon and Somerset Counties.

4. Performed home repair projects that allowed individuals and families to continue to live safely, independently, and comfortably in their homes.

5. Opened a Raritan Valley Habitat ReStore and celebrated its first anniversary.

Next Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity will:

1. Continue to engage community volunteers in all aspects of our mission, including specifically defined tasks related to our strategic objectives.

2. Increase revenues so that RVHFH can invest in more properties and provide a path to affordable homeownership for more low- and moderate-income families in Hunterdon and Somerset Counties.

3. Will market the Home Safety and Repair Program – A Brush with Kindness to Hunterdon and Somerset County nonprofits that offer permanent and temporary shelter.

4. Move to a new office location to increase visibility in the community, accommodate a larger staff, and improve access for volunteers.