Building community, one home at a time
Mount donates two Liberty St. properties to Habitat of Newburgh
Photos by Lee Ferris
Thanks to a partnership between Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh and the Mount, two Newburgh families will soon have a home to call their own.
Earlier this year, the Mount donated two properties — located just behind the campus at 417 and 419 Liberty Street — to Habitat for the construction of affordable housing for local families.
Construction is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2025. Mount students, faculty, staff, and alumni will partner with Habitat through several Build Day events to ensure progress of these homes and others like it in the Newburgh area.
The collaboration is the next evolution in the Mount’s ongoing partnership with Habitat, said. Fr. Gregoire Fluet, Interim President of the Mount. The college has worked with Habitat for a number of years already, from faculty/staff volunteer days to the Knight Summer Connections program, where incoming Mount freshmen participate in a build every August before the semester begins.
“The Mount’s focus on service and community goes hand-in-hand with Habitat’s mission,” said Fr. Fluet. “Our students, faculty, staff, and alumni have lent their aid to Habitat in many build projects over the years and it’s wonderful to be able to take that to the next level. We can’t wait to meet our new neighbors!”
There’s a very clear need for affordable housing in the City of Newburgh, said Jill Marie, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh. At the time of the donation in spring, Habitat had a record 25 local families enrolled in its Homeownership Program, with the organization continuing to receive applications. Marie noted that homeownership programs like Habitat Newburgh’s are transformative for local communities and individuals who otherwise would not qualify for a mortgage.
Paul Brothe, Board President of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh, agreed: “Strong communities are the result of people and organizations working together for the common good,” he said. “Development of these properties will provide much needed housing and improve the community.”
Newburgh Mayor and Mount alumnus Torrance Harvey ’03 said the partnership between the Mount and Habitat will help to make the community stronger.
“Housing is stability. Housing is dignity. Housing is a necessity,” said Harvey. Habitat and the Mount “share the common value that decent, affordable housing is a human right, and that all in Newburgh, all in America, and all those around the world deserve [such] housing.”
Mount joins Habitat’s Walk for Housing
Photos by Lee Ferris
The Mount community put on their walking shoes and joined Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh for the 25th annual Walk for Housing, which raised critical funds and awareness for Habitat’s affordable homeownership program in the spring.
In addition to more than 100 other community members, nearly two dozen alumni, employees, and friends of the Mount attended.
The walk showed off Habitat Newburgh’s past accomplishments, as well as some of their current build sites. It began at Washington’s Headquarters, with the walk itself led by students from Newburgh Free Academy’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC). Members of the district’s Goldbacks youth cheer squad performed before the walk began.
