Habitat For Humanity

Project History

Habitat for Humanity (HFH) started in the Nashua area as SoHillCo HFH in 1991. In 1993, we changed our name to Greater Nashua HFH to better reflect the area we serve. Our area covers Pelham, Hudson, Nashua, Hollis, Amherst, Merrimack and Milford.

In December 1993 we were incorporated in the state of New Hampshire and on December 1, 1994 we completed the affiliation process and became an official Habitat for Humanity affiliate. We are governed by a local Board of Directors. Organizational responsibilities are distributed between the committees of; Fundraising, Public Relations, Site Selection, Building, Family Selection, Partnership, Volunteer and Board of Directors. There is currently no paid staff in this affiliate and there will be no paid staff for the foreseeable future. We are all volunteers.

Our program consists of: Home Ownership projects, Small building projects, and Good Neighbor projects, along with other HFHI sponsored affiliate projects. During the affiliation process and up to the present time we have worked with other groups and organizations in the Nashua area along with other affiliates to assist them with volunteer labor. Here is a listing of some of our activities over the past several years.

 

1992

January: Built stairs and added shelving at the Nashua Soup Kitchen.
February: Painted the inside of the Nashua Salvation Army building in preparation for their 100th anniversary celebration.
May: Assisted Milford Regional Counseling Service Center with many needed indoor and outdoor renovations. We replaced a shed roof and fixed gutters. On the inside we removed wallpaper and cleaned the walls in preparation for painting.
December: We participated in the Advent Prayer Walk for the Homeless by repainting bedrooms and common areas at the Nashua Shelter and put up a fence to help stop loitering around the shelter.

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1993

JanuaryApril: We sent volunteers to Lowell to work with the Habitat affiliate there on a house construction project.

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1994

February: We assisted Rev. Peggy Smith, founder of the Tolles Street Mission, in evaluating potential sites for the Mission.
February May: We worked with the Nashua Soup Kitchen to install a kitchen counter and also did some other minor repairs.
May January '95: We partnered with the Monadnock HFH affiliate to renovate a home in Amherst. We helped with publicity, volunteer recruitment, and local fund raising for the project.
July: We began work with our first family which continued until October of 1996, when for personal reasons, the family withdrew their application.
September: We built an enclosed porch for Keystone Hall, which provides transitional housing for recovering substance abusers. This was our first corporate supported work project. Windmill Industries of Nashua provided much of the skilled labor for this project.
September November: A volunteer worked with French Hill Neighborhood Housing Services to build a handicap ramp for an elderly homeowner.
December: Volunteers painted bedrooms and common rooms in the Nashua Homeless Shelter on Ash St.

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1995

January:Completed partnership beginning May '94 with the Monadnock HFH affiliate to renovate a home in Amherst. We helped with publicity, volunteer recruitment, and local fund raising for the project.
July: Habitat volunteers partnered with Milford SHARE to shore up decaying floor joists for an elderly resident of Milford.
December: Volunteers built a handicap ramp for an Amherst resident who has multiple sclerosis.

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1996

March: We participated in HFHI Collegant Challenge Program by taking a group of college students to Circleville, WV to work on a Habitat project during their spring break.
April: A Habitat board member brought a group of Nashua high school students to Portland, Maine to work on a Habitat project for their spring vacation week.
July: We formalized our partnership with the French Hill Neighborhood Housing Services to renovate the building at 48 Tolles St. The first floor is to house the FHNHS offices and a police substation. The second floor will be a 3 bedroom low rent apartment.
August September: Renovated a kitchen for handicap accessibility for a Merrimack women who suffers from MS.
September: We began work at 48 Tolles St. GNHFH serves as the general contractor while FHNHS supplies the finances. This partnership greatly reduces the cost of the project.

 

1997

May: GNHFH became the owners of the property at 6369 Tolles St. We will build a duplex there. The land and each side of the duplex and will be owned independently by the families selected.
August: The two condemned buildings at 6369 Tolles St. Nashua where demolished.
November: Finished Rehab project with French Hill Neighborhood Housing Service.

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1998

February - May: Remodeled a bathroom and entrance for handicapped accessibility for a family in Hudson with MS and MD.
March: Remodeled an elderly/handicapped Merrimack woman house for wheelchair accessibility.
April: Roofing and undercoating work on a trailer house in Nashua for a needy family.
April: Started work on the Two family duplex at 65-67 Tolles St. in French Hill.

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1999

February: Worked with NH AID/HIV Task Force in renovating their building for service.
March: Closed on two family duplex.
April: Worked with Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter on fix-up repairs and painting.
May: Finished outside work on Tolles St. Duplex.

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2000

Tolles Street Mission: Gutted building, new windows, partitions, sheetrock, doors, trim, stairs, and kitchen cabinets.
Pastoral Care: Built shelving, put up walls, sheetrock, electrical work, and tore down partitions.
Nashua Soup Kitchen: Electrical work, plumbing, cabinets, congoleum flooring, repairs, painting, and sheetrock.
Upper Room Compassionate Ministry: Replacement windows, and new floor.
Handicap Ramps: For Nashuan elder, Brookline, and Milford families with MS.

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2001

Nashua Pastoral Care Center: Installed replacement windows.
Area Families:
1. Handicap ramp for an elderly resident.
2. Remodeling a 1/2 bath to fully handicap accessible bath for elderly.
3. Building larger deck and handicap bath for family of quadruplets, 2 with cerebral palsy.
Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelters: General maintenance project.
Marguerite’s Place: Awning work.
Elderly and Adult Services of Southern NH: Starting referral Partnership for clients requesting assistance.
City of Nashua, Urban Programs: Partnership program for assisting very poor residence in need of home repairs or remodel for quality of life issues (health). (Qualifiers: 5 to 20% of the median income.)

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2002

Dental Connection: Construction of offices for the Dental Connection within an existing building. ($1117 supplies). Also renovation to add handicap accessibility to a bathroom ($116 supplies)
April: Ground breaking on a new single family home on Fowell Ave, Nashua.
May-Dec: Continued construction on the Fowell Ave project.
November: Constructed handicap access ramp for a young woman with MS at her home on Lake St.

Provided $3220 in support of international housing construction in Haiti.

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2003

May: Completed construction on Fowell Ave. Handicap access ramp funded by State HN Division of Elderly & Adult services ($750). Assisted on two weekends in siding a trailer in Amherst.
June: The new homeowners took possession and moved in on June 24th.
September: Southern NH HIV/Aids Task Force handicap access ramp (Materials $560).
November: Renovation of a ramp and shed in Amherst. Repair work on a small project in Merrimack.
December: Garbage disposal was replaced for a woman with cancer.

Provided $2780 in support of international housing construction in Haiti.

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2004

June: Small project in Milford.
August: Constructed a ramp in Peterborough. Also teamed up with the Salvation Army and Lions Club and 26 people painted the house in 6 hours.
September: September: Constructed a wall with doorway to divide the office space for the Greater Nashua Interfaith Hospitality Network on Daniel Webster Highway in Nashua into two separate areas.
December: Purchased property on corner of Tolles and Whitney Streets for next house.

Provided $2511 in support of international housing construction in Ecuador.

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2005

January:  Constructed a handicap access ramp for Randy Pearce in Nashua.

May-July:  Assisted Greater Nashua Interfaith Hospitality Network to rehabilitate the Anne Marie House in Hudson for temporary shelter.

June 25:  Groundbreaking for the 51 Whitney Street house.

July:  Construction begins on the Whitney Street house.

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2006

February:  First ever Heart of the Community Celebration dinner honoring volunteers and former Habitat board members Patrick Verhoff, Vicki Hatfield, and Dave Darling raising over $8,000.

March:  In honor of our long-time building chairman, Dave Darling, teens of the St. John Neumann Catholic Community fasted for 30 hours to raise awareness and funds for local non-profit agencies that assist those who are less fortunate as part of their 10th Anniversary Fast for Social Action with $2100 designated to Habitat.

April:  Constructed a ramp in Mont Vernon to enable wheelchair access. Second Hoops-for-Humanity 3-on-3 basketball tournament. Completed the 51 Whitney St house project.

May:  Repairs to a Merrimack home (chimney repair, window replacement, and vinyl siding). Provided a wheelchair-access ramp in Nashua. The 11th Annual Take-A-Hike for Humanity fundraiser set a new record raising over $15,000 for our affiliate.

June:  Dedication of the Whitney St project. Held Volunteer Recognition Picnic honoring volunteer efforts. Assisted the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter with painting and new cabinets. Lamy’s Black Belt Academy held a “Break-A-Thon” on the Oval in Milford raising $1200 to support Habitat. Stabile Homes and Carlson GMAC Real Estate joined together to host a Chip-in for Charity golf tournament with proceeds of $10,000.

August:  Completed the renovation of the new offices of Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Nashua and started conversion of their prior offices into low-income rental apartments. Provided $12,301 in support of international housing construction in Ecuador & India.

September:  The service area for Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity was officially expanded to include the towns of Brookline, Greenville, Lyndeborough, Mason, Mont Vernon, Wilton, and Windham.

November:  Constructed handicap ramp in Nashua. Continued renovations of the former offices of Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Nashua into low-income apartments. Participated in Simon Evening of Giving and won the award for the most improved charity sales for the year. Participated in the Downtown Stroll at Main Street United Methodist Church and had our first bake sale along with refreshments.

December:  Constructed a wheelchair ramp and provided handicapped-access renovations including door widening, cabinet lowering, and installing overhead sling lift.

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2007

January:  Continued work renovating the former offices of Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Nashua into low-income apartments. Carpentry and plumbing repairs in Milford.

February:  Patched landing on ramp. Install kick plates below kitchen cabinets (after kitchen floor installed) and moved in range and refrigerator from Neighborhood Housing storage. Held the 2nd Heart of the Community Celebration honoring Ray Doucette, Jerry Harrow, and The Stabile Companies, for their support of Habitat for Humanity.

March:  Connected smoke alarm and performed other minor renovations in a French Hill home in Nashua. Replaced ceiling fan in Nashua. Final plumbing and building inspections, and certificate of occupancy for newly renovated apartments at 50 Tolles Street, Nashua. Moved to our new principal office space to 63 Temple Street thanks to our partnership with Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Nashua.

April:  Sponsored a student at Nashua High School South to go to Mississippi to participate in an HFH Katrina relief build.

May:  Additional handicapped access improvements in Pepperell, MA. Held the 12th Annual Take a Hike for Humanity.

June:  Three-day Operation Home Delivery framing event at the Nashua Community Technical College on Amherst St, Nashua. 150 volunteers constructed a Home-In-A-Box for the Mobile Alabama HFH affiliate to aid in recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Trimmed windows, baseboards, and deck, and other home repairs in Milford.

July:  Constructed handicapped access ramp in Nashua. Provided $9471 in support of international housing construction in Ecuador.

August:  Repair doors, replace screen doors and seal small basement water leaks in Merrimack.

September:  Preparation work for temporary power for future house construction project (Ridge St, Nashua). Held our first Building on Faith outreach meeting at First Church, Nashua.

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