It may have a new name, but Habitat for Humanity Susquehanna has the same purpose.
The separate branches of Habitat for Humanity in Harford and Cecil counties merged last week to create one group serving the Susquehanna region, according to a press release. The merged company is a "grassroots Christian" organization, dedicated to building and repairing houses with community and family partnerships.
Its vision, according to the website, is simple: "to eliminate substandard housing in Cecil County and Harford County, Maryland through action and advocacy."
Joann Blewett, executive director, said this merger was primarily because the Harford County branch had a full-time staff and the Cecil County one was volunteer driven. With the added support of a full-time staff, both communities could be better served.
"We just wanted to be able to support Cecil County as well," she said. "So we started a partnership build together… it was kind of a natural partnership."
Together, since 1993, according to the release, the two branches have served more than 150 families with the construction of 62 homes and repairs to another 127. Although Blewett did not offer numbers on which branch built what, she did say that it had been a few years since the Cecil branch built a home in its community.
The two groups started working together on a construction project in Elkton, she added, and there will be a dedication ceremony for it on Sept. 9.That house is being built under a partnership with Cecil Technical High School. Two other projects are midway, a house build in Belcamp and a renovation in Aberdeen.
Overall, Blewett said, the merger would help more families across the region, especially with Harford's full-time staff.
"We're just really excited to be stretching our territory and serving more families," she said.
Thus far, with the merger barely more than a week old, Blewett said they have already gotten good feedback from both communities about the decision.
"From our donors, to our volunteers, to our partner families, to all our community partners," she said, "it's been nothing but positive."
For more information on the merge and to get involved in the organization, visit http://www.habitatsusq.org.