"On a macro-level Habitat Newburgh has literally changed the footprint of the City of Newburgh. On a micro-level it is allowing a family to put a footprint in the City of Newburgh and become part of it."
Habitat Newburgh Volunteer and Donor
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh began in the summer of 1999 when three Habitat volunteers (Bill Murphy, David Wager, and Al Favata) saw how the Habitat model could work in Newburgh. The three men, all long-time Newburgh residents, quickly recognized that Habitat’s philosophy of “partnership housing”—where those in need of adequate shelter would work side by side with volunteers to build simple, decent houses—could help rebuild the city they loved.
Other interested volunteers gathered at Bill Murphy’s kitchen table, where plans were made and paperwork was completed in record time. In October 1999, Habitat Newburgh officially became one of 1,400 local affiliates of Habitat International. The affiliate hit the ground building, starting with three houses and dedicating its first home in August 2000. It dedicated its 25th home in January 2007, its 50th home in November 2011, its 75th home in June 2014, and its 100th home in October 2019.
In the fall of 2008, Habitat Newburgh moved its offices into the refurbished Kimball Building located at 125 Washington Street in Newburgh and opened its ReStore. In the fall of 2014, the ReStore moved to a larger location at 38 S. Plank Road in Newburgh.
In 2012, Habitat Newburgh officially became a Neighborhood Revitalization affiliate to ensure that our work is integrated into what best serves the overall community and to leverage support for community development efforts that increase the quality of life for our homeowners. While we had already been part of community partnerships such as completing Phase I of the Newburgh Armory Unity Center, our efforts intensified and expanded with this distinction. We introduced a new minor repair program, A Brush with Kindness, and have completed over 50 projects for low-income homeowners and community organizations including the City of Newburgh Police Department.
In 2014, Habitat Newburgh completed its first neighborhood on E.Parmenter Street. Twenty-two energy-efficient homes were built on this block formerly crime-ridden and full of abandoned and blighted buildings. This neighborhood development complete with pocket parks was the first of its kind in a recognized historic district.
In 2016, Habitat Newburgh undertook a unique pilot live/work home sponsored by Habitat International and MasterCard that combines residential space with commercial space. This mixed-use house was completed in 5 days from the deck up as Habitat Newburgh's 5th Home Builders Blitz.
In 2019, Habitat Newburgh dedicated its 100th house as part of the rehabilitation of seven row houses on William Street.
In 2020 due to COVID-19, Habitat Newburgh was forced to shut down their construction sites and housing development came to a halt.
In 2021 we were able to slowly begin building again, however, the volunteer participation was limited. We also were recipients of a 2 Million dollar grant from McKenzie Scott.
This year in 2023 we plan to sell 3 homes by year end, with another 7 planned in 2024.
