Happy fall! As the seasons change, our mission to build more homes to improve the lives of low-income families remains the same. We know of the benefits and peace of mind that accompanies homeownership, so we continue to strive to assist as many hard-working families as possible realize their dream of owning their own home. On October 16th, we will celebrate homeownership with another one of our families at their home dedication. If you or someone that you know is interested in learning more about our Homeownership Program, please contact our office.

Our families are comprised of individuals from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. During the months of September and October, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with our families. It is the designated time each year that we recognize the contributions of Hispanic and Latin Americans in the United States. At Habitat CFC, we value diversity.

We held our Annual Benefit Golf Outing last month. It was a wonderful event on a beautiful day, enjoyed by all. I am thankful to our donors who contributed to the success of the event. I am also thankful to our volunteers who continue to help at our events and work on building homes alongside our future homeowners. This type of partnership is immeasurable. Our future homeowners get an opportunity to physically invest their time and talent, not just for their homeownership future, but the future of other Habitat families. Fall is one of the best times to be working on our construction sites, whether you are an individual or an organization with a group of volunteers, we could use your help to build more homes!

We are so grateful to the vibrant Latinx community that is a part of our Habitat family!

Did you know that despite improvements in recent years, Hispanic homeownership still significantly lags behind non-Hispanic white homeownership? Homeownership is key for building wealth, and consequently, the homeownership gap between white and Hispanic households has serious implications for the total wealth gap between those groups. This disparity is bigger in the northeast than any other region (Learn more here).

Nationally, two thirds of Habitat for Humanity homeowner households are non-white. Habitat for Humanity has always been an organization of radical inclusivity and will continue to offer opportunities for affordable homeownership to ALL members of our community.

email preferred – donate@restorecfc.org

Calling all young people! Learn how to use your voice to create real, meaningful change. Join us for our next two webinars in our Youth Advocacy series.

In our October webinar, you'll learn about the history of housing and how it is tied to racial equity and to wealth building, then learn about the laws and policies that Habitat for Humanity is advocating for and how you can help more people access safe and affordable housing.

In our November webinar, you'll learn how to take all of your new knowledge and put it into action! How do we share our story, how do we engage with others and mobilize people to act, and how do we reach our legislators.

Wednesday, October 13th @ 7:00pm: Cost of Home

Wednesday, November 10th @ 7:00pm: Putting Advocacy into Action

Please email aorfino@habitatcfc.org to reserve your spot and receive your Zoom link.

Join Habitat CFC for a Women Build Open House on Wednesday, October 20th from 12-1pm. Find out more about Habitat CFC’s mission and how you can help. Learn how you can get involved by volunteering, advocating, donating, and more! We will discuss Women Build specific build days, Women Build events, and information about how to be a part of our organization.

If you would like to attend, please email aorfino@habitatcfc.org to get your Zoom link for the event!

Get your family together and engage in the volunteer work done by Habitat CFC. Work alongside your family to improve our community and the lives of our Habitat families. There will be opportunities for kids age 12 years old and up with no experience necessary. See below for the projects that will be available.

Face masks will be required at all times inside of our Habitat CFC warehouse.

8:30am – 1pm

15 Volunteer Spaces Available

Help build and stain bookcases that are donated to new Habitat CFC homeowners. Students have presented a bookcase filled with gently used books at every Home Dedication Ceremony since 2011.

There will be a one-hour break for lunch/snack where we will have a discussion featuring a future Habitat CFC homeowner.

8am – 3:30pm

20 Volunteer Spaces Available

You may be working on any stage of the build process (e.g. painting, siding, framing, landscaping, etc.), as we have multiple houses under construction at any given time. The plan can change as late as the morning of your Build Day, so be prepared for any type of work. We will have work appropriate for individuals of all experience levels – even no experience. Building is a rain or shine activity.

There will be a one-hour break for lunch from 12pm – 1pm so please plan to bring your own lunch or stop by a local restaurant.

To register to participate, please email aorfino@habitatcfc.org.

Hannah Gunn is a junior at St. Luke’s in New Canaan and is the current President of Youth United here at Habitat CFC. Hannah first heard about Habitat for Humanity and Youth United when her brother Aidan was the Treasurer and eventual Co-President of Youth United. When she was old enough to get involved, she began to participate in Youth United activities.

Hannah has volunteered for yard clean up days, bookcase building projects, and home dedications. In her role as president of Youth United, she sets the agenda and runs the monthly meetings, as well as helps to coordinate volunteer days.

Hannah is involved in other volunteering as well. She helps with a program called Super Troopers which is focused on therapeutic horseback riding for those with special needs. She is also involved in fundraising for Regional Hospice which raises money for small children dealing with terminal illnesses. Hannah is interested in working in the healthcare field, which has led her to participate with Operation Med School which organizes conferences that bring together doctors and other healthcare professionals.

Hannah enjoys all the different ways she can get involved with Habitat, but she has been particularly fond of the bookcase building and presenting the bookcases to families when they dedicate their homes. “During my first bookcase build, I got to work alongside the families, and it was great to physically see and talk to those that the program is helping. This work is not just meetings, it’s hands-on real work.”

When Hannah is not volunteering with Habitat CFC, she is involved as both an athlete and a coach in cross country running, is the technology and science editor for her school newspaper, and she enjoys baking cookies which she has so nicely provided to volunteers at some of our Youth United ReStore sales.

Thank you, Hannah, for all that you do!

Thank you to everyone who attended the webinar in our 'Women &" series.

Presenter Gina Douvas, CPFA, taught us about socially responsible investing - what it is, how it performs, and how you can do it. We had many great questions from our engaged attendees!

Stay tuned for future webinars on more interesting topics!

Are you a single person or a couple looking for an affordable place to live? Dream of owning your own place? Habitat CFC is looking for applicants who would be interested in purchasing a one-bedroom condo available on either William Street or Clinton Avenue.

To apply, download an application here.

Questions? Contact Homeownership Program Coordinator, Leonila Ayala: layala@habitatcfc.org | (203) 333-2642 x101

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