 Denise Martinez turned loss into strength, finding stability in homeownership and purpose in building a stronger community. Denise Martinez was looking for a fresh start.
After losing her fiancé, Evan Grimes, in a tragic motorcycle accident in 2017 and facing uncertainty in her housing situation, she knew she needed a stable home for herself and her son and young daughter. Her cousin introduced her to York Habitat for Humanity. In June 2022, Denise was accepted into the York Habitat for Humanity homeownership program and began working toward owning a house in the Chestnut Street Revitalization Project. This included volunteering with Habitat for 250 hours on construction sites and at the York Habitat for Humanity ReStore while also taking classes to help her plan and budget for the future and be a successful homeowner. Denise cut the ribbon on her Chestnut Street house in May 2023. “The program taught me a lot,” Denise says. “I just love being home. This is like my safe place. This is my peace, and I love it.”
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 YORK, PA -- York Habitat for Humanity invites the public to celebrate local individuals, businesses, and organizations at this year’s Habitat Heroes Breakfast presented by WellSpan Health, set for Tuesday, March 4 at Stillmeadow Church of the Nazarene, York City Campus, 350 Chestnut St., York. Networking and breakfast begin at 7:30 a.m. with the program at 8 a.m.
“Habitat houses are built by the community, for the community,” says Natasha Kukorlo, executive director at York Habitat for Humanity. “In honor of 40 years of service to our community, we want to recognize those who have helped us get here. We deeply appreciate the support of our donors, volunteers, community partners, and every individual advocating for affordable housing here in York County.” This year, eight awards will be presented to the following honorees:
The cost to attend is $15. Tickets can be purchased here. The media is invited to attend free of charge.  When Cammy Hipp, who is dealing with stage IV cancer, needed urgent home repairs, two Habitat for Humanity affiliates — in York and Carroll County — joined forces across state lines to lend a helping hand. With her chemotherapy treatments for stage IV cancer, a part-time job, and caring for her granddaughters, Cammy Hipp had fallen behind on a few home projects.
Her sliding glass door needed to be repaired. The shingles on the shed roof were disintegrating. She needed a grab bar for stability in the bathtub because the cancer treatments have stripped away her energy and balance. Cammy reached out to an old friend who encouraged her to apply for Carroll County Habitat for Humanity’s Emergency Assistance Program in Maryland.  York Habitat for Humanity and Community Progress Council are working together to make the journey to homeownership easier. Now, anyone applying to Habitat’s program can first complete CPC’s “Pathway to Homeownership” workshops, which cover everything from saving money to understanding the homebuying process, helping families feel confident and prepared for the next step. Click here to read more.
 Nsenga Boka brought her daughter to the United States from Africa over a decade ago. Through hard work and the help of York Habitat for Humanity, she soon will move into a new home of her own. Nsenga Boka couldn’t see a future for herself and her 6-year-old daughter, Elisee Okenge, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She had completed high school but wasn’t afforded the opportunity to go to college.
Then her father, who was living in the United States, brought her and Elisee to York, Pennsylvania. Now, over a decade later and with the assistance of York Habitat for Humanity, Nsenga is preparing to help build and then move into a home of her own. Elisee, a Nursing major at York College of Pennsylvania, is excelling in arenas her mother felt unable to enter.  Tay Lingo has made giving of her time at the York Habitat for Humanity ReStore a priority in her busy schedule. In her bustling life as a full-time student at York College of Pennsylvania, a cheerleader, and a campus employee, Tay Lingo manages to carve out time for volunteering at York Habitat for Humanity.
Tay, a Business Administration major with a minor in Advertising and Digital Marketing who expects to graduate in spring 2024, learned about York’s own Habitat for Humanity during a college leadership course. Assigned to volunteer for 16 hours, Tay chose to work at the York Habitat ReStore. She was familiar with Habitat ReStores from the one located in her hometown of Vineland, New Jersey, where she and her mother often purchased and upcycled pieces of furniture and household items. “It started as a bonding activity and then it just kept going,” Tay says of working on furniture projects with her mom.  York Habitat for Humanity presented nine awards to this year’s nominated Habitat Heroes. These are individuals and organizations who have not only gone above and beyond supporting York Habitat for Humanity in some capacity over the years, but they also support multiple organizations throughout York County.
 After being evicted from her home following a cancer diagnosis, Jennifer Montalvo needed a more secure living situation for her and her children. She turned to York Habitat for Humanity. Jennifer Montalvo was raising two foster care children and two of her own when she received the diagnosis. She had stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
This wasn’t Jennifer’s first fight against cancer. Her oldest son recently had finished treatment for leukemia. The family barely had recovered from his weekly trips to Philadelphia for care. Through nine months of intensive chemotherapy, Jennifer lost not only her hair but her job. She was recovering when a late rental payment landed the sheriff on the doorstep of her four-bedroom house. “He’s like, ‘Hey, you gotta go,’” Jennifer says, “and I’m like, ‘where?’”  Lori Wise began helping at Habitat for Humanity home sites while in her 20s. Now she helps applicants delve into budgeting and finances as they embark on home ownership. Lori Wise walked through a small York City apartment with one of her York Health Corporation’s social services clients. It was the 1990s, and city apartments were hard to come by.
A bare electric wire dangled above where a dining room table was supposed to be, a single bulb attached to it. An icy breeze cut through the room, streaming in from the edges of the drafty ancient windows. The refrigerator and stove were so old that Lori wasn’t sure they worked. A postage stamp-sized countertop between them offered little space to create a meal for a family. At $1,200 a month, the rent for the two-bedroom apartment was well above what Lori was paying for her mortgage, and the rent didn’t even include utilities. “The things I saw in York were horrific,” Lori says. “Habitat is a way, to take what I have seen, and how bad it is, and to know that there is something that can be done.”  David Hummer didn’t think he’d ever have his own home until he learned about Habitat’s Veteran Home-ownership Program. Happy-go-lucky Chihuahua mix Balthazar is the first face visitors see at David Hummer’s York Habitat for Humanity home. Tail wagging, he grabs his taco squeaky toy and begs to play.
“It means the world to me,” David says of owning a home. “I get to have this little guy here.” In 2018, David felt that he was out of options. As a disabled veteran, he couldn’t discern any path to home ownership. Then, he happened to see a feature on WPMT-FOX43 about the York Habitat for Humanity Veteran Home-ownership Program. The next day he began filling out his application. |