The Habitat Wake office will be open by appointment only: 12/23, 26, 27. Offices will be closed 12/24 and 12/25. Happy Holidays!

Patricia Burch hands keys to a homeowner — *Patricia and Homebuyer Ricky at his closing, May 2024*

A Note from CEO Patricia Burch

There is much to celebrate as we reflect on the past year. We have brought old events back to life, new builds have gained traction, and we have seen historic investment from local government. Our work continues to grow, as does the challenge before us: ensuring that everyone has access to affordable housing.

Everyone deserves an affordable home. The affordable housing crisis continues to expose inequities in our communities. Continuing with the status quo is not enough: this moment demands innovative approaches.

This year I am most proud of developing and committing to these new approaches, which are formalized in our new three-year strategic plan. This plan will serve as a guide to navigating new challenges and thinking creatively about our work.

The new plan is the culmination of many months of feedback and planning. As a result, we are expanding the way we think about our work: we see Habitat Wake’s role as a community builder, a convener and an ambassador for the issue of affordable housing.

We have an opportunity, together with you, our supporters, to do things differently and ensure more of our neighbors have an affordable place to call home.  I look forward to embarking on this new work with you.

Sincerely,

Patricia Burch signature

Patricia Burch, Habitat Wake CEO

Table of Contents

Top Stories
Our headlines of the year include releasing a strategic plan, bringing back the builders blitz, fostering municipal partnerships and reopening the Clayton ReStore.

Staff Highlights
Meet some of the staff who make Habitat Wake's mission possible!

Special Thanks
A few shout-outs to the partners who make our work possible: donors like Frank and Sue Ann Westmeyer, funders like Cornerstone Building Brands and Lonnie and Carole Poole Family Foundation, and of course our amazing volunteers and faith community.

Homeowner Journey Highlights
Hear from homeowners along the path to homeownership with Habitat Wake.

Faith Partners
See a list of the many faith groups who partner with us and hear about our faith roots.

Corporate Partners
See a list of the many corporate partners who support our work.

Audited Financials
Our board-approved 990 as well as funding sources and uses.

113

families served through new construction & home preservation

Our Top Stories of 2024

We released a new strategic plan.

This affordable housing crisis demands new answers. With the support of moss+ross and with the input of key stakeholder groups, Habitat Wake created a new three-year strategic plan to meet more of the need in our community. New strategies include creative tools to combat rising construction costs and interest rates, advocating for new laws and policies that address housing challenges, and delivering diverse housing options that meet the needs of residents.

See the Strategic Plan

We brought back Home Builders Blitz for the first time since 2018.

This past June, Habitat Wake partnered with eight local builders to build four homes from frame to finish in just seven days! Home Builders Blitz, which was founded 22 years ago by Tom Gipson in Wake County, has since become a cherished tradition at Habitats across the country. The Home Builders Blitz is an important tool we use to help build affordable housing and highlight the need in our community – we had a great time bringing this event back!

Municipal partnerships continued to fuel our work.

In February 2024, Wake County granted Habitat Wake a $2.4 million loan to build more than 50 affordable homes, the majority of which will be built at our Old Poole Place neighborhood. The announcement followed a historic $1 land sale by the City of Raleigh just a few months before, which will allow us to build nine additional townhomes. This loan was the culmination of many conversations and relationship-building efforts by Habitat Wake’s leadership and advocacy teams.

Read the Story

Our Clayton ReStore Got a New, Larger Space

Our Clayton ReStore reopened in a new building in November 2024, adding 16,000 square feet of space. The new space will allow for the sale of a wider range of inventory, including building supplies and new cabinets and flooring. The upgraded space will allow the store to generate more money to fund Habitat’s mission to build affordable homes in the community and bring even more shopping and donating opportunities to Johnston County.

Leading in Legacy Giving:
Sue Ann and Frank Westmeyer

Frank and Sue Ann generously chose to include Habitat Wake in their estate plan, ensuring their legacy will continue to build homes, communities and hope for years to come. In this video, they share about what inspired their decision and how planned giving enables them to make an enduring impact in our community.

Reaching New Heights: Volunteers

Every year our volunteers go above and beyond to make our work possible. Whether they are in our construction warehouse prepping materials for wall builds, building homes on site, sorting donations in the ReStore, or making calls to our legislators, Habitat volunteers make our world go round. Without them, we would not be able to serve as many families. Thank you, volunteers!

Volunteer with us

152,909

volunteer hours

Industry Partnerships: Cornerstone Building Brands

For more than a decade, Cornerstone Building Brands has partnered with Habitat Wake to help families achieve their dream of homeownership, contributing over $350,000 in product and financial support.

This June, Cornerstone proudly served as Presenting Sponsor of the Home Builders Blitz, joining forces with eight for-profit builders to build four homes in just one week. In October, dozens of employees volunteered at Old Poole Place, dedicating their time to building affordable, quality homes for the community.

Thank you Cornerstone Building Brands for your ongoing support!

1,660

individual donors

corporate partners

Transformational Gifts: Lonnie & Carole Poole Family Foundation

In 2024, The Lonnie and Carole Poole Family Foundation awarded Habitat Wake $2 million towards the construction of our upcoming 400-home community in Garner. The family-owned foundation has deep roots in the Triangle: Lonnie Poole graduated from NC State University and Carole Johnson Poole attended Meredith University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Garner, in particular, holds special meaning to the Poole family.

This gift will impact generations of families in Garner and beyond! Thank you, Poole Family Foundation for your investment in Habitat Wake's work.

Homebuyer Journey Highlights

Unexpected ReStore Connections

Nigeria helps a fellow volunteer find a job while completing volunteer hours at the ReStore.

Nigeria and Beth

Read the Story

Kai’s First Construction Day

Kai works on the build site for the first time as she begins her homeowner journey.

Kai on the construction site

Read the Story

Finding the Place to Call Home

Ayofemi selects the lot and floor plan of her future home.

Ayofemi on the build site

Read the Story

Our Mission's Roots: the Faith Community

The faith community continues to provide foundational support to Habitat Wake with both financial gifts and gifts of time. In 2024, our faith partners raised $561,647 in funds to support our mission. Additionally, 137 congregations provided volunteers who engaged our elected officials for better access to housing, put their faith into action on the build site constructing new homes and dived deep into the root causes of the affordable housing crisis with hard conversations.

Thank you, faith partners, for making our mission possible for all these years!