Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County

Habitat for Humanity's vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Affordable housing remains out of reach for too many low-income households throughout King County. We build and repair houses with low-income families, advocate for public policy changes and forge new partnerships and housing initiatives to move families out of poverty housing. When families are in secure housing, they are able to focus on thriving instead of simply surviving. Safe, affordable homes launch families into a cycle of progress, better health and long-term security. It eliminates many of the environments that pose health threats to children and their parents. Children are better able to learn and grow when they aren't living in unhealthy, overcrowded housing and unsettled by multiple moves. Communities are strengthened through the improved health and greater stability of the families who live there.

Our goals are to:
(1) Improve local housing and neighborhood conditions
(2) Provide low-income families with safe, stable and durable housing and a source of long-term financial security
(3) Equip homebuyers with the training and support to be successful homeowners
(4) Collaborate with other organizations to increase access to affordable housing solutions
(5) Inspire action to reduce substandard housing conditions

Habitat has a number of strategies defined in its Annual Plan. They are broken down into the following sections and subsections.

1. Serve King County families through sustainable construction and housing support services.

a. Develop new homes and communities from the ground up, using green building practices to ensure a high quality of life for our homeowners and reducing the impact on the environment.
b. Purchase, renovate and resell foreclosed properties to qualified low-income home buyers.
c. Use Habitat's model of no profit, low interest loans to provide low-income families with affordable homeownership. Have families invest up to 250 hours of sweat equity instilling pride of ownership and confidence to meet the ongoing responsibilities of homeownership.
d. Ensure successful long-term homeownership through a comprehensive education program that includes classes on budgeting, financial management, conflict resolution, home maintenance, disaster preparedness, green living, construction skills and others.
e. Preserve affordable homeownership through repairs to alleviate critical health, life and safety issues or code violations for homeowners in need.

2. Leverage shelter as a catalyst for community transformation. Choose a focus neighborhood for long-term (10-15 years) investment; partner with civic, government, school, nonprofit and other organizations to revitalize a distinct, high need neighborhood.

3. Grow capacity to serve the most vulnerable, disaster affected and urbanizing world. Annually, give 10% of our unrestricted donations to Habitat for Humanity International in tithe to build homes and improve living conditions in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nicaragua, and Tajikistan.

4. Promote policies and systems that advance access to adequate, affordable housing. Advocate for fair and just housing policies at a local, state and national level.
a. Partner with other housing nonprofits such as the Housing Development Consortium, the Low Income Housing Alliance and Global Washington to increase awareness and advocacy about the critical need for affordable housing.
b. Work with local jurisdictions within King County to promote affordable housing.

5. Mobilize supporters as hearts, hands and voices for the cause of adequate, affordable housing. Serve as a leading voice in growing awareness of affordable housing as a critical foundation for breaking the cycle of poverty.
a. Engage thousands of volunteers each year, bringing people together in a unique way to create meaningful experiences while revitalizing communities. Volunteers provide critical support building homes, serving on committees, mentoring families, working at our Habitat Stores, or helping in the office.
b. Use engagement experiences as a platform to grow volunteers into donors and affordable housing advocates.
c. Increase awareness, funds, and advocacy related to the global housing crisis through international service opportunities.

Habitat for Humanity SKC has a 30+ year history of building new homes, renovating and repairing existing homes. In total, we have completed over 450 homes and have provided homeownership opportunities for roughly that number. Habitat has successfully completed not only single family homes but also multi-family homes from duplexes to one of our current projects, a nine-plex.

We have built and repaired homes in 17 cities in King County.

Every year, Habitat mobilizes and train thousands of volunteer in every aspect of the work we do -- construction, advocacy, community outreach, family support, homeowner training and retail store support.

Habitat has a highly experienced and skilled staff of 27 led by a 14-member volunteer Board of Directors and a Senior Leadership staff composed of a CEO, Vice-President of Administration and Compliance, Director of Finance and Director of Development. Its construction staff include 5 Site Managers and Coordinators with combined experience of over 75 years. They are assisted by 21 AmeriCorps members.

Habitat partners with other human service and housing providers, government agencies and community groups to identify and financially qualify families ready and able to buy Habitat for Humanity homes.

Habitat supports homebuyer families throughout the home buying experience from selection to closing and offers post-purchase counseling, including delinquency and foreclosure prevention when needed. Habitat's foreclosure rate is exceptionally at only 2%.

Habitat SKC is one of 7 Habitat for Humanity affiliates that has received the Affiliate of Distinction Award for 2013-2015 and 2015-2017.

An average of 70 businesses, civic groups, schools and faith groups support Habitat through volunteering each year.

Habitat SKC's FY 2016 budget is $12 million.

Each year, Habitat SKC's work is supported financially by thousands of individuals and hundreds of businesses, foundations, civic groups, governments and faith groups.

There is no organization whose mission and methods carry more potential to create lasting community transformation than Habitat for Humanity. Among the variety of affordable housing developers in King County, we are the only organization that leverages volunteer labor and donated building materials to build decent, affordable homes and provide low and very low income families with the opportunity to build their long-term stability and wealth through homeownership.

Since 1986, Habitat for Humanity has built, renovated or repaired over 450 homes in King County.

Thus far in FY17 (July 2016-June 2017), we have accomplished the following:

• 9 new homes built and one renovated
• 12 repairs completed and 15 more in progress
• Habitat's long-time commitment to sustainability was evidenced by being named the top non-profit Green Builder by the Puget Sound Business Journal and by winning in the non-profit category for the Seattle Business Magazine's Washington Green 50 List.
• 35 homebuyer families have been completing sweat equity and/or attending homeownership education classes
• 350 people attended our homeownership classes
• 3,435 families have been provided with housing information and referred to partner agencies
• 42 global housing solutions through tithe donations
• 28,860 hours have been contributed by nearly 2,709 volunteers
• All financial health indicators are on target
• 97% of the QA Check List has been completed
• Research on our neighborhood of focus is nearly completion and is on target for selection in the spring
• A store expansion strategic plan was created and approved by the Board of Directors
• Habitat Store sales are on target

Throughout its history, Habitat has strengthened families by increasing their financial independence, helping them become part of a community through home ownership and improving their sense of accomplishment. These benefits extend to their children, increasing their chances to complete an education, be financially independent and become homeowners themselves. In this way, Habitat stabilizes communities and helps families break generational cycles of poverty.