Meet our families
Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity (GSHFH) opened its doors in 1987 and has provided affordable homeownership to 77 families.
Meet Chantal
When Chantal and her three young children immigrated to Western Massachusetts in 2012, she couldn’t know everything the years ahead would bring. But she knew what she wanted for them: a better life and more opportunities. Fourteen years later, after navigating the challenges of starting over in a new country, the family is preparing for another beginning — a home Chantal will help build and purchase through Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity (GSHFH).
When they arrived in the United States in 2012, Chantal’s children were 3, 7, and 10. Before that, the family had lived as refugees in Rwanda after Chantal was forced to leave her native Democratic Republic of Congo because of war and conflict. In Western Massachusetts, she faced the challenges of adjusting to a new way of life while working to provide a stable home for her children.
“We have had to move three different times. One apartment was affected by a fire. Another became too small for our family, and at another home, the landlord decided to sell the property. We had to move again,” Chantal said. “Each move meant packing our belongings, finding another place to live, and starting over again.
“I applied because I want a safe, stable, and affordable home for my family,” she said. “I want my children to have a place they can call ‘home.’”
Construction on Chantal's Springfield home began in October 2026.
Meet Pedro and Damaris
Pedro and his wife, Damaris, lived in a one-bedroom apartment and had complained about their unfriendly neighbors who they said made their everyday life unenjoyable. Pedro and Damaris don’t have children together, but have a large blended family. Pedro has two daughters from a previous relationship and seven grandchildren. Damaris has three children and five grandchildren.
They wanted something that was just their own. Pedro, who is retired, attended every info session offered by Holyoke Housing Authority and fell within Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity's Homeownership Program requirements.
In a special and unique project, Pedro and Damaris qualified to purchase a one-bedroom, one-bathroom modular home that was built by University of Massachusetts DesignBuild students. Construction began in spring 2025 and was delivered to the Holyoke plot in November 2025. The couple closed on the home in spring 2026.