To better serve the communities in their counties and Pocahontas County, Almost Heaven Habitat in Pendleton County and Habitat for Humanity Greenbrier County merged earlier this summer.

The combining of the organizations will increase "the number of new homeownership opportunities, better serving low-income families in need of safe, decent affordable housing around the three county area," the press release stated.

"As Greenbrier's vision began expanding, we looked to other affiliates in West Virginia who modeled the aggressive approach we were looking to adopt. This led us to Almost Heaven Habitat," Phil Roleston, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Greenbrier said. "We were impressed with the significant impact Almost Heaven has made in Pendleton County and merging the two affiliates simply made sense."

John Connor of Almost Heaven Habitat said the merger is an exciting venture for all involved.

"We have much to celebrate and more to build," he said.

For Pocahontas County, the merger could be seen as a Godsend because Habitat for Humanity has been inactive in the county for awhile.

"Almost Heaven Habitat had been considered, per capita, the most efficient habitat in the country," Habitat member Allen Johnson said. "It's definitely going to benefit the county."

The new organization will operate under the name Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity and will be based out of Pendleton County under the leadership of Executive Director Michelle Connor.

"Although we are celebrating an expansion of our service area, we are also reaffirming our commitment to serving families in Pendleton County and I look forward to working with our friends and neighbors in Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties," Connor said. "Don't think for one second that this means we are slowing down or that we will be serving fewer families. To the contrary, it may have taken 20 years to build our first 100 homes, but we plan to build our next 100 homes in less than 10."

Along with building new homes for low-income families, Habitat for Humanity also offers home repair, weatherization, family services, neighborhood revitalization and many community projects.

For more information on Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity or to become a volunteer, visit www.almostheavenhabitat.org.