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hope + opportunity = stability 2021 Impact Report | Habitat for Humanity of Kent County

Above: Habitat Kent volunteers and staff on-site at our multi-unit, single-family homes project on New Avenue. Photo by Gretchen Mathos.

Our Mission:

Seeking to put God's love into action, Habitat for Humanity of Kent County brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope.

Our Vision:

A world where everyone has a decent place to live.

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From the Executive Director

Front: Gail Hollen, Director of Mission Impact; Back, right: Habitat Kent Homebuyer; Back, middle: Bev Thiel, Executive Director; and Back, right: Crystal Bravo, Homeowner Services Specialist

Dear friends, this year has been filled with the essence of Habitat – hope and opportunity. In this report, you will learn about our vision: to celebrate the 1000th homeowner in 2030. This vision combines our rich tradition of bringing people together to build homes with creative programs that will help us “become something more.”

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HOPE

Over our 38 years, children have warmed our hearts with their words and faces. They inspire our work and give us hope for a better, brighter future.

"My Habitat home is not a normal home. My home is a symbol. A symbol for unity. When I say 'unity' I mean a home that brings me and my mother and brother together." — Raven, 11 years old, 6th grade

"Habitat, you have changed my life, now I have friends on my street that like me and we can play outside. Thanks!"— Abrina, 12 years old

"At our home dedication, my grandmother cried happy tears. She knew now that we were going to be alright. She was also proud of my mom for following her dreams." — DeJuana, 15 years old

"Habitat for Humanity changed my life in many ways. It gave me responsibility, independence, freedom and education... I want to say thank you for changing my life and making it better." — Diana, 9th grade

"Habitat gave me my family back. Our landlord was allowed to evict us with a 10-day notice because he wanted to sell his house. Our family had to separate...My older brother came to visit on weekends, like a family separated by divorce. But we weren’t divorced. Because of Habitat, we have a home in which to heal and become a whole family again. We now have a place to entertain, have sleepovers, birthday parties. Habitat gave our family a future together."— Livvy, 16 years old

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OPPORTUNITY

Habitat Kent’s mission is to provide opportunity to those who face barriers on their journey to homeownership. It’s a hand up, not a hand out. We build on our past, and set challenging goals for the future.

Your Impact

LAST YEAR

HABITAT KENT'S 38-YEAR HISTORY

  • 818 families have been served: 466 families have become new homeowners and 352 homes have been preserved through repairs
  • 106 Veterans have been served: 11 Veterans have become new homeowners and 95 Veteran homes have been preserved through repairs
  • 56 families have paid their mortgage in full
  • 177 LEED-Certified homes have been built

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2021 Fiscal Year Financials

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Our Vision

To celebrate the 1,000th Habitat Kent homeowner by 2030.

Q: How do we partner with more families, more quickly, in order to double the number of families served in the next 10 years?

A: Keep doing our traditional construction projects AND implement our new Accelerated Home Improvement Program.

How does the Accelerated Homeownership Program differ from our traditional builds?

  • In addition to building new homes, this program preserves the affordable housing stock for families earning 80% AMI or below.
  • Families participate in abbreviated sweat equity.
  • Instead of a mortgage carried by Habitat Kent, partner banks provide the financing.
  • Families achieve homeownership more quickly and Habitat Kent is able to reinvest more funds into our mission and program.

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Our 3-year Goal for FY 21-23:

18 families in our traditional program +

21 families in our accelerated program

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= 39 new homeowner families

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STABILITY

Stability for a family means feeling safe and settled in their own home, with Habitat Kent supporting their long-term journey and the quality of life in their neighborhood. Stability for Habitat comes from our loyal volunteers and diverse revenue sources.

Neighborhood Engagement

When we talk about a safe, stable place to live, we are referring to more than the four walls of a home. Neighborhoods play a significant role in how families feel about their lives as new homeowners.

Our monthly donors provide us with a consistent stream of revenue that enables us to plan for great things - small monthly gifts add up to make a huge impact.

Members of the Bright Future Society are a group of passionate people who work together through networking, volunteering and more to make our community better.

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Volunteers are the Heartbeat of Habitat Kent

14,800 Volunteer Hours Last Year

Even with careful pandemic restrictions, our faithful and skilled volunteers showed up last year and kept things running smoothly at Habitat Kent.

Our new Volunteer of the Year, Al Wynalda (pictured above), has been volunteering three days a week for 16 years, contributing over 15,000 hours of service. When asked about what Habitat Kent means to him, Al said, "it means everything to me, I love it!"

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ReStores

habitatkent.org/restore/

Habitat Kent has two home improvement centers that accept donations and sell a constantly changing inventory of diverse, high-quality merchandise to the public at a fraction of the retail price, while diverting reusable household items and building materials from landfills.

Sales of donated items help us partner with local families to build, rehabilitate and repair safe and affordable homes in Kent County. Just last year, Habitat Kent ReStores generated over $1 million in sales.

Material Recovery

https://www.habitatkent.org/material-recovery/

Through the Material Recovery program, our team of licensed contractors go to homes and businesses and remove cabinets, appliances, vanities, office furniture, and more for free! These items are sold in our ReStores to generate more funds to help us build more affordable housing with families in Kent County.

Gifts of Real Estate

Contact us for more information

Donate a home or land parcel and help Habitat Kent with the first step in the building process! By making a gift of real estate, the donation provides tax benefits while making a personal impact on the lives of families. Gifts of real estate include undeveloped land, residential and commercial property.

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ways to give

Make a gift of cash, check, or stock, or sign up to be a monthly donor

Volunteer on construction sites or at our ReStores

Shop at or donate to ReStores

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Created By
Habitat Kent
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