Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C. & Northern Virginia, Inc.
Through shelter, we empower.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Washington, D.C. has been experiencing unprecedented growth of over 13% in the last five years and it currently ranks as the fifth most expensive city in the UU.S. in which to live. While the nation's capital is in the top five for income earners, it ranks third highest for disparity between the wealthiest and the poor. Fewer and fewer families have access to a safe, affordable home. As a result, the city risks losing diversity and vitality, and a stable workforce for key industries. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has determined that housing costs are affordable they are if less than or equal to 30% of a family's income. In 2016, one in four D.C. residents spent more than 50% of their pre-tax income on housing, leaving little for necessities like food, transportation, and medical care. Low-income families can't save for the future. They are unable to weather financial shocks and risk being plunged into poverty by events that middle-class families handle with ease.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Home Ownership
Habitat DC-NOVA builds and rehabilitates homes, using donations and volunteer labor, in partnership with low-income residents of Washington, DC & Fairfax County, Arlington County, and the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, and Fairfax. Homes are sold to individuals with low to moderate incomes with reduced down payments and low-interest mortgages that keep monthly payments proportional to income.
In addition, we partner with local residents and neighborhood associations to foster community relations and to build awareness about the need for affordable housing.
Home Repair
Across our region, there are families who cannot afford to make repairs to issues in their homes that threaten their health and safety. There are seniors and older adults who dont have the money to install ramps, handrails, and make modifications that would allow them to safely remain in their homes and maintain their independence. There are homeowners with unaffordable electric and heating bills, because their older homes are poorly insulated and energy-inefficient. Our Home Repair Program is addressing the regions affordable housing crisis by partnering with low-income homeowners to help them make critical repairs to their homes. By helping families who cannot afford these repairs, were making their houses safe, healthy, and reducing their energy costs, so they can continue to liveand thrivein their own homes.
Where we work
Awards
Enterprise Green Communities Criteria 2014
Enterprise Community Partners
Habitat for Humanity Affiliate of the Year 2009
EarthCraft Virginia
External reviews
Photos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Since the DC Habitat affiliate's founding in 1988, we have built and rehabilitated more than 200 homes in Washington, D.C. and abroad, utilizing the help of 2,000 to 5,000 volunteers each year. We currently have 44 new homes in our construction pipeline and we plan to substantially increase the number of D.C. families we serve to 450 families through homeownership opportunities, critical home repair, and counseling by 2020.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
As we work to more than double the families we have served since our founding the next four years, we're taking a multi-faceted strategy that will enable us to scale our impact. These include increasing new home construction, creating a post-purchase training program to provide homeowners with ongoing, multi-year support in financial management and home maintenance, increasing the number of seniors and veterans that we serve, and scaling our home repair program. We've been an innovator in the affordable housing sector; we built the first super energy-efficient Passive Houses in Washington, D.C. and we've developed innovative partnerships with local developers that help us to build more family homes in a city where studio apartments and one-bedroom units dominate the market but units for families can be more challenging to find. We're working to build new partnerships that allow us to build more homes than ever for local families.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We explore, invent, and execute every financial tool we can to provide the financing necessary to accomplish our mission. DC Habitat writes, presents, and administers grant proposals for funding support from foundations both locally and nationally. In addition, DC Habitat has a robust corporate sponsorship program and runs employee charitable fund drives. We also receive in-kind gifts of materials from vendors and pro bono expertise from professionals such as lawyers and accountants.
DC Habitat receives land grants and funds from the DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to produce affordable housing units, and the District of Columbia Housing Authority helps us to identify potential partner families and acquire land. DC Habitat works with Manna, Mi Casa, the Greater Washington Urban League, Housing Counseling Services, University Legal Services, Latino Economic Development Corporation, City First Enterprise, and City First Bank, among others. We partner with 140 affordable housing organizations through our involvement in the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Community Development (CNHED).
DC Habitat administers revolving loan funds to provide below market rate loans to assist families in the purchase of their first home. As we expand DC Habitat's Home Repair Program, we hope to establish another fund dedicated to providing below-market loans for home repairs.
We're also fortunate to have a dedicated and highly skilled team of staff members and board members who are leaders in their fields and ensure that we have the support and resources we need to meet our goals. We also work closely with thousands of volunteers each year who reduce our construction costs and help us to build faster and more efficiently.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since the DC Habitat affiliate's founding in 1988, we have built and rehabilitated more than 200 homes in Washington, D.C. and abroad, utilizing the help of 2,000 to 5,000 volunteers each year. Most recently, in FY 2015, we finished an additional six-unit development at 56th Place NE, near our previously-completed 54-home development in Deanwood. These 3-bedroom, 1.5 bathroom houses are now all home to Habitat families. In addition to our developments in Deanwood, notable past accomplishments include building a 34-townhouse development in Park Skyland in Southeast D.C. In Ivy City, and in the summer of 2012, we won the Mayor's Sustainability Award for our work on the "Empowerhouse," the District's first net-zero Passive House. Originally constructed for the 2011 Solar Decathlon, the townhouse duplex is now home to two Habitat families in the Deanwood community. In FY 2016, DC Habitat completed construction on 11 homes for the third phase of our development in the Ivy City community. This includes six homes built to the highly energy‐efficient Passive House standard and five built to the EarthCraft standard. Our homeowners benefit from these energy‐efficient designs through increased air quality and significant savings in energy costs. Many of the homes are also equipped with solar panels to decrease energy costs and make the homes even more affordable for Habitat families. We have worked diligently to make a lasting impact in the Ivy City neighborhood. Of the nearly 500 housing units located in Ivy City, collectively with our partners we have built or rehabilitated 60 homes, contributing to the stabilization and revitalization of this community and we are currently building 12 new homes in the neighborhood.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C. & Northern Virginia, Inc.
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Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
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Gender identity
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Transgender Identity
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
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