A Note From The Executive Director
The weather may be cooling off but the heat is on at Habitat. A lot of folks don’t realize that there are a lot of moving parts at Habitat. Along with the day-to-day business, we’re:
- Running the Habitat for Humanity ReStore processing multiple truckloads of donations
- Finding qualified partner homeowners for our homebuying and home repair programs
- Managing more than 80 mortgages through our homeownership program
- Supporting the efforts of 10 standing committees
- Applying and managing grant requirements
- Contributing to community initiatives including the CPO Housing Collaborative, the Northwest Project, and Impacting Poverty Commission
- Growing our Neighborhood Revitalization program
And that doesn’t even scratch the surface.
The thing we have to remember, though, is to keep our focus on the Habitat for Humanity mission. According to the recent US Bureau of Labor Statistics report, Greene County’s average weekly wage dropped 1.9% in the 1st quarter to $740/week which placed us 264th among 344 largest measured US counties. Along with that, the National Resource Network reported that the number of Springfield residents in poverty has exploded from 22,437 in the year 2000 to OVER 40,000 in 2014. And the demand for affordable rental units far exceeds the supply for lower income households. That’s what we need to focus on.
Help us make a difference by sharing the Habitat for Humanity mission. You can shop in the ReStore, make a a donation, or encourage friends and family to apply for our homewonership, home preservation and home repair programs. We’re here to support the community, but we need community support to make a difference.
Blessings,
Larry Peterson – Executive Director
