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Jeremy Campbell helps his son, Royce, 4, create a fort from blankets in their home in Homewood. He and his wife, Mandy, helped Habitat for Humanity build the house for their family, which includes daughter, Zoey, 6, and Jade, 8.
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Habitat for Humanity changes Pittsburghers' lives one house at a time

Benjamin B. Braun/Post-Gazette

Habitat for Humanity changes Pittsburghers' lives one house at a time

Hammer in hand, Jimmy Carter was a one man PR-machine for Habitat for Humanity.

The volunteer work he engaged in after he was no longer U.S. President spanned more than 40 years and helped to boost the nonprofit’s profile, which, in turn, inspired more volunteers and helped put more families into new and safe homes.

Annually, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh attracts approximately 1,000 volunteers from all walks of life to help restore, repair and build homes.

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Though Habitat started in Americus, Ga., just 15 minutes from Carter’s hometown of Plains, its mission has spread across the country and the globe over the past 50 years.

“President Carter’s involvement made a big difference,” said Pittsburgh Habitat president and CEO Howard Slaughter.

It was an effect crucial to areas like Pittsburgh.

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“There is a greater need for affordable housing and in our market we have an abundance of homes that could be restored and rehabbed, which could provide opportunities for housing for many individuals,” he said.

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When Slaughter was just 5 years old, he and his mother were walking through Homewood when he told her that, if he had money, he would fix up all the houses for the people there. 

“We were poor ourselves,” he recalled. 

He was true to his word, going on to work as regional director for Fannie Mae and a board member with the Federal Home Loan Bank Pittsburgh.

“We are happy that affordable housing is a topic many stakeholders are talking about across the country,” he noted.

“Habitat does a lot of home repairs for senior citizens who have been in their homes for years. They also build homes from the ground up, as well as repair and restore homes for safe habitation.”

Habitat for Humanity isn’t just building homes, Slaughter said. It is laying the groundwork for generational wealth and stability.

After many attempts to secure a traditional bank mortgage to buy a home, a local mother of three named Tiffany — with children ages 7, 4 and 1 — ended up at Habitat for Humanity.  

“I tried to look for a home since my second child was born. It was a cycle of applying for rentals and being told someone else got it,” recalled Tiffany, who asked that the Post-Gazette not publish her last name.

She tried to apply for a mortgage and had a similar experience. One local bank said she was on track for approval. Then, COVID-19 stalled the process.

“I was placed on hold and they never picked up from there,” she said.  

It was her mother, Gina, who suggested Habitat.

“I felt in my heart this was the one,” Tiffany remembered. “The process was amazing and easy and I loved you could put in time as a volunteer at ReStore and help build the home.”

Habitat’s ReStores — located in Larimer, Swissvale and Washington, Pa., —  sell discounted items such as furniture, lamps, lawn mowers, washing machines and other items that can be used in the home. It’s a source of income for the nonprofit.

Tiffany’s hope of having more space for her children and a backyard became a reality once she connected with Habitat.

“The process of building the home brought me and their father, John, together stronger and we got married in December,” she said.

The couple learned a lot in the process of working on their home in the East End. She learned a special painting technique and how to install interior doors. Her husband put in a sink and became proficient at doing some of the electrical work as well as painting, flooring and grouting. 

“Habitat is an amazing organization and has bought a lot of peace to the home,” she said. 

For Slaughter, it’s part of the process.

“We try to make sure that every quarter we are putting a family in a home that we provided the construction or rehab for, as well as the mortgage,” said Slaughter.

“We don’t just build and restore homes we also provide mortgages at zero percent for 30 years and that is what makes it truly affordable. They instantly have equity.”

Habitat also offers a one-year warranty on the homes they build.

“Home ownership not only increases a family’s net worth, a stable place to live provides a significant economic impact to the region,” he said.

That impact is a direct result of Habitat’s hiring of builders, architects, materials and engineers.

Another family who got a leg up through Habitat is the Campbells.  Mandy and Jeremy have been in their Habitat home in Homewood for three years. 

“It changed our lives in so many ways,” Mandy said.

When Mrs. Campbell was a teenager, she volunteered to help Habitat build her aunt’s home, never thinking she might need that same help one day.

She and her husband tried for several years to find a house they could afford while living in a one-bedroom apartment in Bloomfield.

“We just couldn’t afford to move and at the time we had two kids,” she said. “It was rough.”

They were crowded and had no driveway or yard for the children to play in. Today, their three-bedroom home offers room to breathe and grow. During the construction process, Mrs. Campbell was pregnant with their third child.

Like Tiffany and her husband, the Campbells helped build their home. Mr. Campbell not only worked on their house but also two others that were being built by Habitat on the same block. He also spent many hours volunteering at a ReStore.

Donations are an important revenue stream for Habitat for Humanity.

“We are blessed to have a lot of donor support from individuals, families, foundations and corporations such as Maggie Hardy [84 Lumber CEO] and 84 Lumber,” said Slaughter.

Along with using 84 Lumber Home packages for their ground-up builds, Habitat for Humanity chapters across the country have received donations each year from the Washington County-based building supplies company.

“The organization has been very close to my heart for many years and we are thrilled to be able to be a part of so many important builds that those in need can call home,” said Hardy, owner and president of 84 Lumber.

“Our support for Habitat for Humanity starts with the dedication and work ethic of the entire 84 Lumber family, who make it possible for us to make donations of this nature,” added Hardy.

“My personal mission and the mission of Habitat is to help people and it is very rewarding,” said Slaughter.

First Published: January 29, 2025, 10:30 a.m.
Updated: January 30, 2025, 6:27 p.m.

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Jeremy Campbell helps his son, Royce, 4, create a fort from blankets in their home in Homewood. He and his wife, Mandy, helped Habitat for Humanity build the house for their family, which includes daughter, Zoey, 6, and Jade, 8.  (Benjamin B. Braun/Post-Gazette)
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh board chair Tina Morascyzk, left, and president Howard Slaughter with homeowner Tiffany and her mother, Gina, in the family's new East End home.  (Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh)
Habitat for Humanity homes being built from the ground up in Braddock.  (Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh)
Mandy and Jeremy Campbell with their children Zoey, 6, left, Royce, 4, and Jade, 8, inside their new home built by Habitat for Humanity in Homewood.  (Benjamin B. Braun/Post-Gazette)
Jimmy Carter marks a board to be cut as he works on a Habitat for Humanity project in Charlotte, N.C., in July 1987. The former U.S. president helped spread the word about the nonprofit that creates safe housing for people in need.  (Mark Humphrey/Associated Press)
Mandy and Jeremy Campbell sit with their children Jade, 8, left, Royce, 4, and Zoey, 6, inside their home in Homewood on Jan. 26.  (Benjamin B. Braun/Post-Gazette)
Benjamin B. Braun/Post-Gazette
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