Left to right: Lowell City Councilor Rita Mercier, Vice Chair Paul Ratha Yem, MVHP Executive Director Cathy Mercado and Mayor Danny Rourke (Photo courtesy Megpix Photography)

LOWELL – The Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership (MVHP) has moved into their new headquarters, located at 664 Merrimack Street in Lowell’s new Acre Crossing development.

On May 21, MVHP celebrated the ribbon-cutting at its new location with more than 80 guests in attendance. State Representatives Vanna Howard and Tara Hong, along with Lowell Mayor Daniel P. Rourke, welcomed supporters from across the Merrimack Valley, including homeowners who bought their homes with support from MVHP.

“Affordable homeownership is so important for our families and our communities,” said MVHP Executive Director Cathy Mercado. “Safe, stable homes make so much more possible.”

MVHP has served more than 25,000 aspiring first-time homebuyers since its 1986 founding. Last year, it served more than 900 participants through its homebuyer training classes and individualized financial counseling services.

Sixty percent of participants were already residents of Gateway Cities in the Merrimack Valley, including Lowell, Lawrence, and Methuen.

One of those first-time homebuyers is Ilse Bellido.

“MVHP didn’t just offer a class—they offered clarity,” Bellido said. “They walked us through the entire home buying process, step by step, in language we could actually understand. They gave us the tools to make informed and confident decisions. If I could offer one piece of advice to anyone out there: Believe this dream is for you, too.”

MVHP’s new headquarters is located on the ground floor of the innovative Acre Crossing development, which created 32 units of affordable homeownership condos, thanks to the investment of Acre Crossing, LLC and local financing partners.

Being in the heart of the city, MVHP can provide classes and resources to locals in The Acre and surrounding neighborhoods who can most benefit from their services, including working-class residents.

“Mention its name in a room full of locals, and at least half will share how MVHP’s classes helped them buy their homes or how a friend, neighbor, or relative became a homeowner thanks to its support,” said Paulette Renault-Caragianes, Chair of the MVHP Board of Directors. “MVHP’s new location serves as a powerful statement – ‘We are here’ – and enables MVHP to deepen its role in community-building.”

Keynote speaker Karen Frederick retired from a storied career of nonprofit leadership at Community Teamwork, Inc.

“Buying a first home is not just a milestone,” Frederick said. “It is a transformational step toward stability, financial security, and building a future … I appreciate and applaud [MVHP’s] work to build wealth – both financial and emotional wealth.”