June is National Homeownership Month. It is an opportunity to focus on the stability and value that owning a home brings to families, communities, and neighborhoods across America.
Affordable homeownership is the cornerstone of Habitat LA’s work. Over the last 30 years, our affordable homeownership program has provided hundreds of local, low-income families with the life-changing opportunity to purchase a home and enjoy the added benefits that homeownership can provide.
These benefits, which include greater economic stability, safety, and security, impact entire households. Did you know that children of low-income homeowners are 11% more likely to graduate from high school and are 4.5% more likely to complete post-secondary education than children of low-income renters? (Economic Policy Review). An additional benefit is that homeowners can leverage their housing wealth to finance post-secondary education for their children. For lower- and moderate-income households, a $10,000 increase in housing wealth raises the probability of college attendance by 14%. (Journal of Labor Economics).
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Welcome, Habitat LA’s Newest Board Members! |
Habitat LA is proud to announce the appointments of six new members to its Board of Directors. With great excitement, we welcome: Brett Kahn, Executive Director, JPMorgan; Patrick Labib, Project Manager, Turner Construction Company; Leslie Mayer, Executive Managing Director, Cushman and Wakefield; Kiesha Nix, Executive Director, Lakers Youth Foundation, Los Angeles Lakers; Brian Prusnek, Director of Customer Programs & Assistance, Southern California Gas; and Donna Tiocao, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
Each of these executives bring their unique talents and experiences, and we are honored that they have chosen to dedicate them to strengthen Habitat LA and elevate the ways that we continue to serve Los Angeles’ low-income communities.
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2021 Los Angeles Builders Ball® – Sponsorships Available
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Sponsorship opportunities are available for Habitat LA’s Los Angeles Builders Ball®, which will be held on Thursday, September 23 at the Beverly Hilton.
Presented by City National Bank, the 2021 Los Angeles Builders Ball is Habitat LA’s largest annual fundraiser. All proceeds will support our efforts to build strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable homeownership, financial counseling, affordable lending, home repairs and other programs and services.
Join us as we honor Clark Construction as our 2021 Builder of the Year, City National Bank as our 2021 Foundation Builder, and Emmy-nominated actress and director Chandra Wilson as our 2021 Dream Builder. This is the local building industry’s favorite party, so you don't want to miss it!
For information on sponsorship levels and marketing benefits, click here or reach out to Victoria Green, Director of Development, at vgreen@habitatla.org. The deadline to be included in the digital invitation is July 31, 2021.
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Phase 2 of our Home Builders Blitz Has Begun! |
Building another two homes in just five weeks thanks to our partners AECOM, Turner Construction, and Thrivent Financial!
On June 14, we kicked off Phase 2 of our 2021 Home Builders Blitz in South LA, and construction started on homes #3 and #4. View photos from the kick-off.
These Habitat homes will serve as a strong foundation for two families in need of safe and affordable housing, an opportunity on which they can build a better life. We are grateful to our outstanding partners for their generous sponsorship of these homes!
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The Long-Awaited Return to Site: Individual Construction Volunteer Opportunities Are COMING! |
We have missed you all on our construction sites! We are thrilled to announce that we will begin to welcome back construction volunteers in mid-July. Opportunities will vary between Thursdays through Saturdays with a limit of 5 individuals per day. No construction experience is necessary, and all volunteers must be at least 16 years old to volunteer on a build site.
We will be posting opportunities on our VolunteerHub site the first week of July. If you are thinking about volunteering, please set up an account in advance so that you will get notifications when opportunities are available. We will update the schedule every few weeks so please be sure to visit the VolunteerHub site often or reach out to volunteers@habitatla.org with any questions.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
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Video Update from our Millennium Homes |
Currently, we are working on our Millennium Homes development, a milestone project in Long Beach’s Washington Neighborhood. This project includes ten new affordable homes, one of which will be our 1,001st home! Together, we are helping more families in need of decent, affordable housing build a safe and secure place to call home.
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At Habitat LA, we believe our strength lies in celebrating, representing, and valuing our differences — and in coming together with the communities we serve to help build a better world.
No matter who we are or where we come from, we all deserve to have a decent life. Every single one of us deserves the opportunity for a better future, and decent shelter is something we all need to thrive. We provide equal housing opportunities for all and ensure fair and equal access to our programs and services.
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A Big Thanks to Umpqua Bank |
Thank you to Umpqua Bank for their recent grant in support of Habitat LA’s financial education programs. Because of their generous contribution, Habitat LA can offer additional financial education to guide households through the purchase of a home, ensuring that they remain successful homeowners for years to come.
Habitat LA and Umpqua Bank recognize that financial literacy is a critical element of becoming a homeowner.
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“Housing stability and homeownership have never been more important to the vitality of our communities. Umpqua Bank is honored to support the work of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles – especially the resulting ownership opportunities for deserving families. Congratulations!”
-Pedar Bruce, VP, Community Development Officer (CA/NV) at Umpqua Bank
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With the support of donors such as Umpqua Bank, Habitat LA can advance its mission by empowering homebuyers and homeowners through pre- and post-purchase education. Workshops offered include topics such as the home buying process, credit building, money management, and financing options. Financial education provides a preventative approach to housing disparity and helps to curb homeownership decline in the communities we serve. Umpqua Bank’s generosity will make a lasting impact, and we sincerely appreciate their commitment to empowering our families. |
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Join our Team as an AmeriCorps Service Member |
We are recruiting AmeriCorps members to start with us this Fall! If you are unfamiliar with the AmeriCorps program, it is a voluntary civil society program that engages adults in public service with a goal of “helping others and meeting critical needs in the community.” Often referred to as the domestic version of the Peace Corps, this federal program places more than 75,000 Americans annually into intensive service positions where they learn valuable skills, earn money for education, and develop a strong sense of civic responsibility.
Habitat LA is heavily reliant on our AmeriCorps members. We recruit 8-14 AmeriCorps members annually, all of whom help further our work to build homes, communities and hope throughout greater Los Angeles.
This program provides a terrific training ground for those who wish to give back, learn new skills, and perhaps transition into the non-profit sector. In fact, some of our AmeriCorps members go on to become full-time Habitat LA employees after completing their service term.
We are currently recruiting for the following positions!
- Homeowner Services Coordinator
- Community Outreach Coordinator
- Construction Crew Leader (4 spots available)
- Resource Development: Donor Stewardship
- Project Development: Neighborhood Revitalization Coordinator
To learn more about this program and apply for open positions, click here.
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Additional Ways to Support |
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“Back to School” Build-a-Basket Campaign to Support Long Beach’s Washington Neighborhood Residents |
Thank you to those that have donated to our “Back to School” Build-a-Basket campaign to benefit more than 1,500 students attending the schools in Long Beach’s Washington Neighborhood. We are so close to hitting our goal!
Habitat LA has been working with residents, community leaders and other stakeholders in this wonderful community for more than five years. The schools in this neighborhood play a critical role in the education, development and mentorship of Washington’s youngest residents.
Please consider contributing to our “Back to School” Build-a-Basket campaign by July 31. You can help by donating items from our list, encouraging others to support our efforts by sharing this flyer on social media, or making a financial donation to support the purchase of school supplies for the students. Habitat LA’s volunteer team will assemble and distribute the backpacks during the month of August.
With your generosity, together we can ensure that the students and teachers have adequate supplies as they prepare to return to the classroom this fall!
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In Honor of Homeownership Month:
Join Us in Creating Beams of Hope
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For those of you who have been on site with us over the years, you probably have seen the wonderful notes of encouragement and love left by volunteers for our partner families.
Our families often remark that even long after the drywall is installed and they have moved in, they know that there are dozens of encouraging and heartfelt notes left on the wooden beams supporting their homes. These messages last a lifetime and have become a symbol of the love that is contributed by everyone during the construction of a new Habitat LA home.
Did you know that you can contribute a message for our partner families from afar? Send us your message using this link and we will be happy to transcribe it (with a Sharpie, just like you would!) on the wooden beams of their homes. Follow us on social media @HabitatLA as we share photos of some of the messages we receive!
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OUR MISSION
Seeking to put God's love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.
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OUR VISION
A world where everyone has a decent place to live.
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