Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region

Our programs center on empowering hardworking families to purchase a new home with an affordable mortgage or preserve their existing home through completing critically needed repairs. We believe no one should have to spend more than 30% of their income on homeownership. We deeply understand the wealth-building benefits of homeownership, with homeowners having roughly 40 times the net worth of a comparable renter (2019 Survey of Consumer Finances). Research from Habitat for Humanity International further confirms that housing wealth makes up a significantly larger share of net wealth for lower-income homeowners. Our Critical Home Repair program partners with homeowners to complete major repairs at affordable rates, so families can stay safely in their homes without health or safety concerns. Furthermore, this program prevents displacement while preserving the existing affordable housing stock within our community.

Beyond the number of families served through our programs, we also promote the long-term benefits of affordable homeownership and home preservation. Through a partnership with the Institute of Social Capital at UNC Charlotte, we measured the quantitative impacts of affordable housing on homeowners and their families. This study found that 86% of Habitat Charlotte Region families interviewed feel their lives are better due to the affordable mortgage, which saved them a great deal of money and decreased the number of hours they have to work to pay for housing. The study also found that once stably housed, Habitat students' math and reading proficiency improves with Habitat students more quickly closing (and exceeding) achievement gaps the longer they are stably housed.

Our Affordable Homeownership program remains our foundation, as we utilize the traditional Habitat model of building new homes or renovating existing homes in partnership with families and volunteers. This program empowers families earning between 30%-80% of the HUD Area Median Income (AMI) to purchase homes with affordable mortgages. Our Critical Home Repair program conducts extensive repairs on homes of primarily elderly residents, enabling them to age in their own home without health or safety concerns while also preserving affordable housing stock in our community. Specific program requirements, including sweat equity hours and homeownership classes, prepare our partner families for homeownership, setting them up to be financially stable and build generational wealth over the long-term.

Habitat Charlotte Region is a unique community provider in that we focus on homeownership as the truest and quickest method to attain economic mobility. As the mortgage servicer for our partner families, our ongoing relationships with them set us apart from other area providers. We work closely with our families from their first class as a Homeowner in Process to the day their mortgage is paid in full. Having been in the affordable housing space for nearly 40 years, we know what our communities need, and we adapt to help our partner families be as successful as possible. Furthermore, we work hand-in-hand with neighborhoods and communities to identify their needs and prepare them for a Habitat presence. Through this community engagement, we are able to bring additional resources and assets into the communities in which we serve.

Habitat Charlotte Region has been at the forefront of providing affordable housing solutions for nearly four decades, continuously recognized by Habitat for Humanity International as one of the top affiliates for our innovation in the affordable housing sector. Habitat Charlotte Region construction staff maintains their OSHA, LEED, BPI, Lead RRP, and Asbestos Awareness certifications. Directors of construction hold their General Contracting licensures and supervise staff, as well as AmeriCorps members, volunteers, and certified subcontractors.

We have a multi-year Resource Development Strategy to increase organizational contributions from $6.5M annually to $9.5M in four years. The main priorities are acquiring, growing and retaining a healthy mix of constituents to support our operating needs and growth goals. Private philanthropy plays a vital role in our organization, making up about one-third of the annual resources available for our programming. We partner closely with donors to understand their philanthropic goals and then demonstrate how their giving makes an impact.

We are also fortunate to own and operate six ReStores, where we sell new and gently used furniture, appliances, home décor, and building materials. As an important fundraising arm of Habitat Charlotte Region, proceeds from our ReStores support our operational expenses so that we can continue to deliver our programs across the region and sustain our organization. The housing crisis in the Charlotte region has consistently been a major headline, fueling conversations among elected officials, nonprofits and foundations, households, corporations and faith institutions to react and respond in a meaningful way. We would not exist without the commitments of our donors and partners of our organization.

Since our inception in 1983, Habitat Charlotte Region has provided affordable homeownership solutions for more than 3,700 hardworking families in Mecklenburg and Iredell counties. We are fortunate to have robust cash resources to invest in our mission and serve as many families as possible. Our recent accomplishments include having kept construction operations running uninterrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also increasing the number of families served. In March 2022, we were awarded $13.5 million in funding from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This represents a significant endorsement of our mission as one of just 84 affiliates selected for funding out of over 1,000 nationally. We plan to use this unrestricted funding to make transformational investments in our programming, aligned to our new five-year strategic plan. In our fiscal year 2023, we are projected to partner with more than 450 families on affordable homeownership solutions across our core program areas.