News & Updates

“Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.”    Luke 18:16

Yesterday, I was overcome with sadness.  And that sadness is still with me this morning.  You see, three of the Triangle's brightest and most enthusiastic young people were killed in their own Chapel Hill neighborhood in a quick and senseless act of violence.

I had the privilege of travelling to the Dominican Republic week before last along with 14 other Habitat directors from affiliates in the U.S.  We travelled to see first hand the housing challenges in this country and to learn about the ambitious plans that the local Habitat organization there has.

The Kpa-Ksor family, who partnered with the Catholic Coalition and an anonymous donor to build and buy their home, were recently profiled in the Garner-Cleveland Record.  Thanks to the News & Observer's Jonathan Alexander for sharing the remarkable story of the Kpa-Ksor family!

Since Thanksgiving, Habitat Wake has celebrated home dedications with 14 families.  Praise be to God for that!  A home dedication is a time when we celebrate with our homebuyers the completion of their home and we thank God and our volunteers and sponsors for making it happen.

So, we’ve been completing a lot of homes lately.  Families are reaching a long held dream to own their own home.  Volunteers and sponsors are proud of the work they’ve done.  Things are definitely coming to a culmination after literally years of struggle for some families.

The cover story of Monday’s News and Observer was “Downtown Raleigh boom leaves less for affordable housing.”The headline stated clearly the challenge that faces our growing county – the exciting growth and prosperity is leaving behind some of our most vulnerable residents.

The N&O editorial nails it when they refer to affordable housing as an “ever present” need.  I might add “ever present” AND “growing.”

I had the privilege of attending yesterday’s meeting of the Wake County Commissioners to speak for affordable housing as the county addresses its comprehensive plan for housing.  You can see the video of my comments at the following link beginning at the 2:14.58 mark.

ZOMBIE FORECLOSURE:  A term for when a distressed homeowner leaves a property before the bank can finish taking it back.

MetLife, a leading global life insurance and employee benefits company, is partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Wake County as a Platinum Hammer Sponsor.