Hard work, faith, Habitat for Humanity equal home for young mother, son

On the living room wall of Stacey Maloney's West Leechburg home hangs a plaque with the word faith in large letters.

The fact that the 104-year-old Second Street house, dedicated Wednesday, now belongs to her is one reason why.

I was looking to buy a home, but I didn't have much credit, being so young, said Maloney, 24, a registered nurse at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Pittsburgh.

But Maloney, a single mom with an 8-month-old son, Jaxton, believes things happen for a reason. When she walked into the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in New Kensington and met Mike McElhaney, executive director of Armstrong County Habitat for Humanity, that seemed to be the case.

Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization, builds new houses and restores old ones, then sells them to low-income working people who might otherwise not be able to own their own home. Once a buyer's eligibility is verified, he or she is required to chip in sweat equity by participating in the construction or restoration and receive mortgages with little or no interest.

Maloney inquired about obtaining a house through Habitat, and McElhaney said he had one in West Leechburg. The house was abandoned after a mortgage foreclosure and was owned by the Bank of America.

Mark Battaglia, a bank senior vice president based in the South Hills, who came to West Leechburg for the dedication, said the bank has a 25-year agreement with Habitat. Under that agreement with Habitat for Humanity International, the bank donates vacant or abandoned properties to help provide affordable housing for low-income families nationwide.

Battaglia also said bank employees donate 30,000 hours of volunteer time each year to help restore the houses, which was the case with Maloney's house.

In Pennsylvania, we've had four donations completed for Habitat, Battaglia said, adding that Maloney's house is the first one in this area. Banks have to give back to their local communities by law, and this is one example, he said.

You just can't have a neater program than having foreclosed houses being donated to Habitat, McElhaney said.

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Hard work, faith, Habitat for Humanity equal home for young mother, son