(photo credit: Armen Elliott)
Allentown, PA | Wednesday, February 21, 2018 — Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley has appointed Jessica Elliott as its Executive Director. In making the announcement, Board Chair Brian Dillman noted that “Jessica has been a long time member of the Habitat staff and an invaluable contributor to the success of our program. We are confident that our organization is in very dedicated and capable hands.” Ms. Elliott commented that “The area of housing and homelessness has been my passion since 13 years of age when working in a soup kitchen I stopped to listen to a client’s story. He said, ‘The worst part of being homeless is that no one cares to know how you got there.’ In that exact moment, something clicked and I decided what I wanted to do with my life.”
Ms. Elliott is a native of the Lehigh Valley and a product of the Bethlehem Area School District and Lafayette College where she was awarded the Louise M. Olmsted Prize in Ethics. Before joining Habitat she worked at the Landis Community Outreach Center, at Safe Harbor, with StreetSense, a non-profit organization focused on homelessness in Washington D.C., and with Via in the Lehigh Valley. Ms. Elliott has held a variety of positions within the local Habitat including Family Services Manager, Director of Community Relations, and Interim Executive Director. Ms. Elliott is a proud member of the Bethlehem Morning Star Rotary Club.
Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley has just completed another successful year placing 3 low-income families in homes, having 11 homes in various stages of construction, and 12 future homebuyers currently enrolled in the Homeownership Program. The Habitat ReStore (opened in 2013 and is located next to the Lehigh Valley Mall on Grape Street), which sells donated home construction and home furnishing items, has just completed a record year. During this period volunteers from corporations, church groups, civic organizations and individuals have contributed close to 24,000 hours on and off the construction site. Upcoming events to support Habitat Lehigh Valley include the “Plunge for a Purpose” polar plunge on Saturday, April 7th from 10:00 to 11:30AM at Dutch Springs, and the “She Nailed It! Competition” on Monday, May 7th from 4:00 to 6:00PM at ArtsQuest. Information on both of these events is available on the website.
About Habitat for Humanity Lehigh Valley
Our Vision
A world where everyone has a decent place to live.
Our Mission
Habitat for Humanity builds strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter.
What We Do
Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley is a non-profit organization that works to build simple, decent homes for hardworking, disadvantaged families in the Lehigh Valley. We are an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), a global organization that has provided housing for more than 2 million people in communities in America and around the world. As one of 1,500 U.S. affiliates, Habitat Lehigh Valley embodies the mission and goals of HFHI at the local level.
Founded in 1989, Habitat Lehigh Valley brings together people from all walks of life to help others. Habitat Lehigh Valley works by partnering with local businesses, individuals and faith-based groups to build and renovate housing for families in need in our community. Our objective is to provide our families with a decent home in a safe neighborhood. Additionally, our families help to revitalize neighborhoods and increase the local tax base.
The Habitat mission is to offer families in need a hand up, not a hand out, and to walk alongside them as they realize the dream of home ownership. Each of our families contributes 250 hours of sweat equity to help build their home and the homes of their neighbors. Once in residence, they make monthly mortgage payments. Since most of our families are new to home ownership, HLV stays in contact with them, guiding them and providing support to ensure their successful transition to home ownership.
Information and image provided to TVL by:
Stephen Stoddard
Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley
www.habitatlv.org
