“Here I Am”: How Sherry Turned a Habitat House Into a Home for an Entire Community

Sherry Rivers of North Hills, Pennsylvania is a caretaker, community builder, and force of nature. She's also a Habitat homeowner, and her journey to homeownership took real grit. If you ask her how it all started, she’ll tell you plainly:

“My credit wasn’t good. My credit was horrible. But I worked, and y’all worked with me, and here I am.”

Discovering Habitat and Discovering Possibility

Sherry first heard about Habitat through her community. She was invited to a breakfast meeting for Habitat for Humanity at the Sheraton Hotel. When she arrived, she saw several familiar faces, including a woman named Kelly who was around her children's age. Sherry was originally asked to be a member of the board, but when Kelly stood up and shared her own Habitat story, Sherry remembers thinking:

“I’m still in the housing authority… I’m 55 years old… she’s getting a brand‑new house?”

So she asked the question many people wonder but rarely say out loud:

“Am I too old?”

The answer was simple: No. She was told she couldn’t serve on the board if she applied for a home, but she didn’t hesitate.

“I said, well, I’m not gonna be on the board to see y’all and I applied.”

And that decision changed everything.

Dedication Day

When Sherry’s home was dedicated, she was shocked to see more than 100 people gathered to celebrate her new beginning.

“like, wow look at God. I finally have a place where I don’t have anyone telling me who can and who cannot be in my house.”

For years, she had opened her door to children and teens who needed a meal, a place to wash their clothes, or simply a safe space. But living in public housing meant constant restrictions. Owning her home meant she could continue doing what she does best, caring for others without limits.

“It was a blessing to be able to have something to say: it’s my own. And I can help people. That’s what I do.”

A Yard That Became a Gathering Place

Ask Sherry her favorite part of her home, and she doesn’t hesitate:

“I love my yard. Oh my God.”

Her house may not be big enough to hold her entire family, but her yard is and then some.

Every August, she hosts a massive family‑and‑friends reunion in honor of her sister Vicki. What started as a family tradition has grown into a neighborhood event with 200 people or more. Local leaders including elected officials stop by, neighbors bring food and her whole family gathers. Her home has become exactly what she once dreamed:

“I had a dream about having a house up on the hill, and everybody came and prayed in the House of Prayer.”

That dream came true not just spiritually, but literally. Her home is a place of fellowship, ministry, and connection.

A Home Holds Love

Habitat homes don’t just provide shelter. They hold life’s most important moments. For Sherry, that includes memories of her late husband. Sherry and her husband had spent the morning together, voting, getting cheesesteaks, laughing with their grandson. She holds gratitude for growing old with her husband in her expanding Habitat home.

A Powerful Voice

Sherry is the first to admit she wasn’t always outspoken.

“Believe it or not, I used to be shy. But God gave me a voice, and now it just never shuts up.”

She uses that voice for good in church, in her neighborhood, and everywhere she goes. She tells anyone who needs housing to call Habitat.

“Still now, when the man came to fix my heater, I told him about Habitat... Everybody I come across that need help or need housing, I give them the number. I tell them to call, and y’all will do the rest.”

She even convinced a friend Shawnette Phillips to apply. Shawnette is now a Habitat homeowner too. Sherry’s message is simple and powerful:

“She listened to me, and I told her to apply, and she did. And I said, you know, it's not that hard.”

Why Habitat Matters: Through Sherry’s Eyes

Sherry’s story shows that a Habitat home is more than just a structure. It’s a place where people gather, pray, laugh, grieve, celebrate, and grow. It’s a place where a woman who once doubted she could ever own a home now stands as a pillar of her community. And she wants others to know they can do it too.