4th Habitat home being built on Florence street

FLORENCE, Mass. (WWLP) - Habitat for Humanity has built yet another house on Garfield Avenue in the Florence section of Northampton, and area students are helping to build the home.

The new residence is the fourth out of five Habitat homes that have been built on the street. The two-acre parcel was part of an old landfill site and was given to Habitat in 2003 by the City of Northampton.

Smith Vocational juniors and seniors joined Mayor David Narkewicz to raise the home's first wall on Thursday. They will help build the home, which will belong to longtime Northampton resident and mother of four Kimberly Rivera.

She has lived in the city for 14 years, and says it's a dream come true.

“It's going to be our first home. It's an amazing feeling, it's such a great accomplishment. It's hard raising four kids on your own, there's no way I would have been able to do this without Habitat,” Rivera said.

Habitat for Humanity Executive Director MJ Adams said that it is good that they’ve been able to provide housing like this for Northampton residents.

“The families that have moved in here and have been selected to be Habitat homeowners have lived in subsidized housing in Northampton. So it's been really sweet that the kids haven't had to change school systems,” Adams said.

Adams told 22News that the Rivera family will be able to enjoy their new house by Christmas of next year.