34
new homes built
41
existing homes repaired
This year has been a transformative one for Habitat Wake in many ways. I was fortunate to join our organization as CEO in October. I took the helm amid rising market prices, supply chain shortages, and, most importantly, an increasing number of families who need a safe, affordable place to live as the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to exacerbate pre-existing inequities.
We take our responsibility to those families very seriously. So we have been laying the foundation for future adaptation with the goal of extending our reach and serving our community more completely.
As you read on, you’ll see that we are building on our long history of support in the community to seek new resources, gather people in new ways and facilitate new conversations. Because of our supporters, we are able to explore new ways to address our community’s most pressing needs.
We look forward to sharing these innovations with you in the coming months. Thank you for your investment in our mission!
Patricia Burch
CEO, Habitat for Humanity of Wake County
The faith community fueled the mission.
Our faith coalitions are made up of congregations that are grouped by geography, denomination or other affinity. Each coalition annually raises funds and recruits volunteers to build or repair homes. In addition to building opportunities, congregations also advocate for affordable housing.
This year, 119 congregations participating in 18 faith coalitions:
- Sent a record 2,374 volunteers
- Took a record 66 advocacy actions, fueling many affordable housing wins
- Contributed $589,562
Thank you to our faith coalitions!
Apostles Fall Build • Apostles Spring Build • Baptist Build • Cary Coalition • Catholic Coalition • Downtown Coalition • East Wake Coalition • Episcopal Coalition • Fiesta Build • Interfaith Build • Johnston County Coalition • Lutheran Coalition • Methodist Coalition • Northern Wake Coalition • Orthodox Build • Presbyterian Coalition • South Wake Coalition • Southwest Wake Coalition
Faith community highlight: building louder
As our construction sites began to open to volunteers from COVID, the faith community poured in, sending a record number of volunteers. As affordable housing reached crisis levels, the faith community also fueled our advocacy.
More than 40 people of faith received training to become Advocacy Ambassadors, raising their voices for affordable housing plans in Wake Forest, Apex and Cary. Faith-filled Advocacy Ambassadors also participated in the first ever Affordable Housing Local Lobby Day.
The faith community hosted and participated in a Property Tax Summit and signed petitions to help low- to moderate income families stay in their homes. 220 people of faith also participated in Race and Housing Dialogues.
Throughout the year, the faith community not only found their hammers to build the Beloved Community, they found their voice.
The corporate community continued to invest in our work.
Corporate Highlight: Grifols
For 14 years, Grifols has joined Habitat Wake in building homes, communities, and hope across Wake and Johnston County. In their time, hundreds of volunteers have served on a build site and they have given nearly $650,000.
This year, Grifols supported Habitat Wake’s largest community yet in Johnston County, providing $70,000 in financial support and more than 80 volunteers. To kick off their efforts, Grifols joined us for a wall build in our new construction warehouse in Garner. To cap off a great year of partnership, Grifols’ Doug Burns joined to celebrate and share remarks at the dedication of three of those homes in Clayton this summer, which are standing because of the walls Grifols helped build.
Thank you, Grifols, for your ongoing support!
Thank you to our FY22 Lead Sponsors!
Thank you to our FY22 Lead Sponsors!
Yardi
Searstone
Fifth Third Bank
Caravan
Wake Stone Corporation
Bank of America
LivGroup, Inc.
Publix Super Markets
Allscripts
Morris & Associates, Inc.
TowneBank
Duke Raleigh Hospital
NC Petroleum & Convenience Marketers Association
Cutler Hammer
Envestnet Tamarac
Flatiron Construction Corporation
FMI Corporation
Schneider Electric
United Community Bank Foundation
Sensus USA Inc. (formerly Xylem)
Thank you to our FY22 Community Lenders
Thank you to our FY22 Community Lenders
Our ReStores continued to drive the mission
Habitat Wake operates the ReStores, but the profits go to all three Habitats where our stores are located. When you round up your purchase total at the register, you are supporting Habitat for Humanity of Wake and Johnston counties, Habitat Durham and Habitat Orange, just like ReStore sales do.
When you round up, you are helping Habitat build more affordable homes in our community, which is a big deal. Our homes provide cost-saving energy efficiency, they're beautiful, and they're built to last. Small change is a huge investment in the future of communities in the Triangle.
Thanks to the support of our community, the ReStores raised an additional $168,000 to support all three local Habitat organizations (Habitat Wake, Habitat Orange and Habitat Durham).
Your small change is a huge investment in the future of Triangle communities.
We had new conversations with our community.
Dialogue participants begin the session by watching this short film together before breaking into small groups to participate in facilitated discussion.
We launched the Hope Builders Annual Giving Society
Building on years of support from our many individual donors and fueled by the Covid-19-changed landscape, Habitat Wake launched our annual giving society last year.
Championed by Tom Gipson and Owen Williams, the Hope Builders Annual Giving Society celebrates the mission of building homes, communities and hope through unrestricted leadership giving. Hope Builders are committed to sustaining the work of Habitat Wake through leadership giving of $1,000 or more each year. Their investment means, together, we can help build long-term, generational stability for families in our community.
We launched a new Advocacy Ambassador volunteer program
As the affordable housing crisis worsens in our community, many of our neighbors asked us what they could do to assist their neighbors at the systemic level. That's why in early 2022 we launched an advocacy volunteer program that gives our supporters the opportunity to take action for affordable housing policy.
Since 2022, more than 200 Advocacy Ambassadors continue to:
- Support Habitat Wake’s local campaign work. Issues we cover are property tax relief, local funding for affordable housing, COVID-19 assistance, and much more
- Learn how to organize their community take action for affordable housing
- Engage with and lobby local elected officials
- Connect with other local advocates to tackle the affordable housing crisis
This program is open to anyone in Wake or Johnston County, regardless of age or experience, and is 100% free!
2.4k
individual ReStore volunteers
3.9k
individual construction volunteers
18 k+
volunteer instances
Since 1985, we have helped build 943 homes abroad.
Even with global trips suspended, we still tithed to our sister Habitat organizations in Honduras, Malawi and Cambodia.
We celebrated 30 years of ReStore history
The 10 Triangle ReStores that you know today began their journey in 1991 as a single warehouse in Raleigh, NC selling excess building materials from Habitat’s construction work. Known as the Bargain Center, this was Wake County’s first glance at what would soon become the Raleigh ReStore. The proceeds went back to Habitat’s mission to build homes in our community.
In December 2021, we had a wonderful time celebrating 30 years of the ReStores supporting Habitat's mission to build homes, communities and hope!
Saying Goodbye to Si Seiler
Stewarding the boundless talents of those who serve alongside Habitat Wake is a distinct honor, and this is certainly the case in the legacy of Si Seiler, a long-time member of our Force of Habitat who passed away last August.
Si had been diagnosed with a rapid form of leukemia, and he was told by physicians he only had a few weeks left to live. Upon hearing this, he asked to donate his extensive tool collection to Habitat Wake. His wife, Millie, scheduled the pick-up for the time of the day when Si was usually strongest, and a small army of Habitat staff and volunteers packed up the truck with Si’s tools in less than an hour.
Having a piece of Si close to staff through his tools is special. Construction superintendent Kris Nilles recalls working with him: "His kindness and patience, his knowledge and humor are all things to be admired. Seeing Si’s name on the sign-in list meant our job on site would be easier that day. He’s a force of nature and will be missed.”
Not long after the donation, Si passed away. Habitat Wake staff have a deep and abiding gratitude for Si’s contributions to our organization, and we will continue our effort to honor his legacy.
We are already well into FY23. Our goals by June 2023:
34
new homes built
50
existing homes preserved
We're already at work
We've officially kicked off development in our second largest community: Old Poole Place!
The property, acquired by Habitat Wake in early 2018, spans 23 acres and hosts 105 lots to be filled with 60 single-family homes and 45 townhomes.
In this increasingly difficult market for affordable housing, building these larger communities helps to provide options to keep up with the growing demand.
Habitat Wake’s construction team and subcontractors are currently working on developing the community’s infrastructure, with construction on the houses planned to begin in January.
