Hurricane Recovery

On September 14, I received a call from Habitat for Humanity International CEO, Jonathan Reckford, asking if I would consider a 4 week temporary assignment to help Habitat plan its response to the devastation caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in Texas and Florida.   I gave it some quick thought and checked in with my family and our Habitat Wake board and leadership team and accepted the assignment.

Building homes, communities and hope since 1985

Habitat Wake's beginnings began at the Corner Restaurant in the town of Wake Forest. In early 1985, Jack VandenHengel; Chris Fuller, son of Habitat for Humanity International founder Millard Fuller; and three others met to discuss the formation of an affiliate in Wake Forest. Around the same time, Dennis Gabriel, John Wilson and Fred Johnson, were meeting to discuss organizing an affiliate in Raleigh.

Racial wealth disparity

The wealth gap in the United States when analyzed by race is staggering.  The Economic Policy Institute concludes in their publication, The State of Working America, that two-thirds of a typical household’s wealth comes from housing equity.  Homeownership not only provides a family with a safe, stable, and secure place to live, but it is also the chief driver of wealth-building in our country.  Access to wealth and capital is the primary way to break the cycle of poverty.  Check out this graphic from the Economic Policy Institute.