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Applications sought for affordable homes in Old Bridge, Plainfield

Susan Loyer
MyCentralJersey.com

The dream of home ownership will become a reality for two low-income families.

Morris Habitat for Humanity is accepting applications for a low-income home in Old Bridge and another in Plainfield.

In Old Bridge, applications are being accepted for a three-bedroom home at 308 Norwood Ave. in the Laurence Harbor section of the township. The single-family, new construction, ranch-style home will feature one bath, a front porch and a small backyard. The sale price will be $203,179.

Applications are also being accepted for a three-bedroom home with 1 ½ baths in a duplex at 829 East 3rd St. in Plainfield. The sale price will be $114,000, depending upon income and household size.

Both homes will be sold as affordable homeownership to the selected applicant.

Interested applicants must attend one mandatory virtual meeting and information session to qualify. The lottery for eligible applicants is expected to be held in October.

Information sessions will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. July 28, 10 to 11 a.m. July 31, 6 to 7 p.m. Aug. 4, and 10 to 11 a.m. Aug. 7.

For registration, visit bit.ly/3hGCIOM.

The affordable 30-year mortgage will be held by Morris Habitat for Humanity, part of a global, nonprofit housing organization. The home will have a minimum 30-year deed restriction that allows modest equity upon resale, but mandates that it be sold at an affordable price to another income-eligible family. The prospective homeowners will contribute a minimum of 300 hours of sweat equity helping to build their home, as well as other homes.

In 2019, after celebrating 35 years of providing safe, decent and affordable housing for families in the Morris County area, Morris Habitat for Humanity, expanded by acquiring the service area of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plainfield & Middlesex County. The newly expanded affiliate operates under the Morris Habitat name and has a second office at 2 Randolph Road in Plainfield. The acquisition effectively doubled Morris Habitat’s service area to 68 municipalities spanning 1,000 square miles in Morris, Middlesex and parts of Union and Somerset Counties.

For more information, visit Morrishabitat.org or call 973-891-1934.

Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com

Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. 

A huge thank you to everyone who supported Hammer for Habitat 2021 for two days in June, when 80 volunteers built wall panels in the Morris Habitat ReStore parking lot. The panels will be used later to build a new home at 3 Settlers Ridge Court in Washington Township.

Radio stations 105.5 WDHA and 1250 WMTR-AM hosted the event. Valley Bank provided essential volunteer support. Morristown Lumber and Supply Co. donated $2,000 worth of lumber. LiUNA Laborers Local 3, Garden Savings Federal Credit Union, Plumbers Local 24 and Service Professionals raised $8,000 to support construction.

Daily Record
COVID delayed move, but family gets new Habitat for Humanity home in time for the new year

December 30, 2020
By William Westhoven 

Twenty-five years after he immigrated to the United States, Dr. Mahmoud Abdelghafar finally has the home of his dreams to share with his family.

The health care worker’s scheduled move into his new Morris Habitat for Humanity second-floor Succasunna condo last month was postponed because he contracted COVID-19 and was ill for six weeks. The original move-in date included a grand opening celebration for the completion of the two-building condo development off Main Street by the organization.

Two weeks ago, a healthy Abdelghafar, his wife, Noura El Ouadoudi, and their son, Muhamad, 4, moved from their Newark apartment into their new home, built in part with 400 hours of the “sweat equity” work demanded of all the hopeful homeowners.

“It was worth it to have a home in a nice area and good school system for my son,” he said. “Habitat is a great organization. You have to see for yourself. I saw a lot of organizations before, but they don’t treat you as well as they treat you here.”

Their new address is part of the largest construction project in the nonprofit Morris Habitat’s 35-year history: two six-unit dwellings built on land donated by Roxbury Township. The Phase II building was completed last month. The Abdelghafar family’s five new neighbors participated in a ribbon-cutting there on Nov. 18.

“We’re still moving in,” Abdelghafar said Tuesday.

“We don’t just build homes, we build communities,” Morris Habitat CEO Blair Schleicher Wilson said. “It’s common sense that people should be helped in a way that does not foster dependency.”

An orthopedic surgeon in his native Egypt, Abdelghafar, 59, left for a new life and marriage in the United States. But the need to work interfered with his studies to qualify to practice medicine here. His quest later was complicated by his background after the 9/11 attacks.

“Every time I did the interview, they asked about your background,” he said. “And orthopedic is a very difficult field to get in.”

With limited options and a need to work rather than study full time, Abdelghafar qualified for different disciplines in the medical field. He’s been an emergency room technician at Newark Beth Israel Hospital for 25 years. Ten years ago, he doubled his hours, taking a second job as a diagnostic technician at Hackensack University Medical Center.

“Between the two, I’m working almost seven days, almost 80 hours a week,” he said.

Learning almost by accident about the Habitat for Humanity program, he applied online and was accepted in 2018, but had to wait two more years before a lottery system called his number.

Hopeful homeowners who are screened for eligibility must contribute their own “sweat equity” to the home they will own and occupy. They also receive education on how to manage the bills and budgets that come with home ownership.

Volunteers from the organization handle the rest, including construction, utility subcontracting and financial arrangements.

“We would come here early in the morning between my shifts and work for three or four hours every day,” he said.

The home came with a few extras, including a Lego Spiderman toy kit for Muhamad.

“He loves Spiderman,” Abdelghafar said.

He regrets missing the grand opening dedication ceremony last month, but the Abdelghafar family was there in spirit.

“We watched it through the video,” Abdelghafar said.

Morris Habitat Expands into Central New Jersey

After celebrating 35 years of providing safe, decent and affordable housing for families in the Morris County area, Morris Habitat for Humanity is expanding into central New Jersey in November 2020 by acquiring the service area of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plainfield & Middlesex County. The combined organization will operate under the Morris Habitat for Humanity brand.

The acquisition will effectively double Morris Habitat’s service area to 68 municipalities spanning one thousand square miles in Morris, Middlesex and parts of Union and Somerset Counties.* Plans to efficiently leverage donations, corporate support and a volunteer workforce will enable our expanded affiliate to create more opportunities for affordable housing and community improvement through new home construction, home repairs and neighborhood revitalization.

Since 1985, Morris Habitat has served more than 600 families through building 120 local homes, preserving 200 homes for low-income and senior residents, and helping 280 families with housing solutions worldwide. We have engaged more than 130,000 volunteers for our various programs. Morris Habitat also operates a successful ReStore home improvement outlet which has kept 11,000 tons of reusable materials out of landfills and funded 28 homes.

Accomplishments for the Greater Plainfield & Middlesex County affiliate include serving more than 106 families through its homeownership, repair, and international homebuilding programs since 1989.

As the last eight months have demonstrated, we are stronger together. By uniting our affiliates, we are poised to make a greater impact on the communities we serve during these unprecedented times.

*Serving Fanwood, Plainfield, Scotch Plains, Green Brook, North Plainfield and Watchung in Union and Somerset Counties.

After focusing on how thankful we are on Thanksgiving Day and then shopping online on Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday is a day to give back to the community or to a non-profit of your choice.

This year we hope you will consider supporting us on Tuesday, December 1, 2020.

It is quick and easy to make a contribution using our secure online donation form.

Please check with your employer to see if they are offering matching donations, either on Giving Tuesday or any day throughout the remainder of the year. You can search this directory of matching employers, although it may not be a comprehensive list.

You can also donate by shopping:

• Shop for new and gently-used building supplies and furnishings at the ReStore in Randolph.
• Choose Morris Habitat for Humanity as your charity of choice when shopping online. If you start your shopping at AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. Or shop through GoodShop to find coupon offers from more than 30,000 stores when you click “Shop Now.” An average of 3% of your online purchase amount will go to Morris Habitat as your designated charity.

We appreciate all contributions and accept them throughout the year. They will be used to build safe, decent affordable housing for local families in need.