Financial counseling program key to Habitat success stories – Opinion – Gaston Gazette – Gastonia, NC Since 1989, Habitat for Humanity has been helping Gaston County people become homeowners.Lately, however, the local Habitat organization has needed a helping hand itself. Too few people looking to become Habitat homeowners had too much debt and poor credit to take on the monthly payments that a Habitat home requires.Being financially able to make the payments, like sweat equity and community donations, is part of the successful Habitat formula that has made homeowners of countless people far and near who never imagined they would achieve the American dream.In Gaston County, Habitat has built 108 homes for new owners since the organization got off the ground.As word got around about Habitat’s need, Gaston County does what it always does people came together to see that the need is met.Leaders from Gaston Together, Keeping Families Intact and the YMCA got together with local church leaders and representatives from crisis assistance agencies and came up with a program it’s called Resource Connection Gateway — to help individuals and families straighten out their finances and leave poverty behind. Ideally, they will become eligible for a Habitat home.Good ideas remain only ideas without money to help them succeed and once again, Gaston County stepped up.Private individuals wrote checks. To get help, one must agree to meet certain requirements, just like getting a Habitat house.Once again, Gaston County has come together to help people in need.