In a month known for our nation’s historic milestone—and the many celebrations to honor it—we had a couple of our own. Congratulations to Habitat LA President and CEO Erin Rank on her 1,000th home! It’s one of 10 homes at the Millennium Homes development in Long Beach, which also includes the 1,001st home built by the Habitat LA organization. We fittingly honored our Sparkies in July—they're a dedicated group of senior volunteers who specialize in electrical work on Habitat LA build sites—and worked with our faith partners and volunteers to help repair and restore the properties of three families.
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Making History. Making News.
Habitat LA’s Erin Rank gives an exclusive interview to CBS 2 News
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Awesome news spreads fast! CBS Los Angeles heard about Habitat LA’s historic Millennium Homes development and invited our President and CEO to share more about her 1,000th home milestone—and how Habitat LA built 10 new homes against the backdrop of a pandemic.
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Celebrating the Sparkies
Bringing the light and power to new home construction
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Any time a Habitat LA house powers up, you can bet there’s a good chance at least one of the Sparkies was involved. They’re Habitat LA’s group of electrical volunteer crew leaders, and have been known by their supercharged nickname since it was coined in the early 2000’s.
This July, we took a moment to celebrate the Sparkies and their many volunteer contributions by treating them to lunch, new crew shirts, and a tour of our new Isabel Villas build site.
Before they looked around the site where they’ll be helping next, Habitat LA President and CEO Erin Rank stopped by to present them with commemorative plaques, and to thank them all for their key roles as volunteers.
“Today is really a day for us to celebrate our Sparkies,” she said. “We wanted to take this opportunity to give you a plaque in appreciation for everything you guys have done for Habitat LA, not just on our most recent development but throughout the decades.”
In fact, many of the current Sparkies have been volunteering with Habitat for decades, and that experience they bring to the site is invaluable. Habitat LA construction site superintendent David Duarte was equally amped up about what the Sparkies bring to our team.
“It’s amazing to bring together a group of retired engineers and just really smart people who maybe were not electricians in their career but have picked up the electrical work, and some who are learning it along the way,” said Duarte.
"They’re able to help a family move into these homes, and honestly, they produce high quality work...the Sparkies go home, they research, they look at code, and they really make sure that whatever we put into this house is going to be there for the long run,” he added. “They’re awesome.”
Want to train to be a crew leader? The training session, for all experienced individuals in the construction field, will take place on Sat., Aug. 20 at 8:00 AM. For more information and location, please contact Associate Director of Volunteer Services Anna Rubino at volunteers@habitatla.org
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Repairs and Renovations
How Habitat LA helped three families to stay safe at home
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Fire prevention in Malibu
After her home and music studio were destroyed by the Woolsey fire in 2018, Naomi D. turned to Habitat LA for help. Although she’s been living in a donated trailer on her property, Naomi hopes to rebuild one day so that she and her son will have a real home—and she can once again offer music lessons.
Because Naomi’s trailer relies on a propane generator, her property must adhere to CalFire standards for weed abatement. Volunteers from St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church and the Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue stepped in to clear the brush from the property—which includes a historic oak tree that survived the wildfire.
“This work was important for a couple of reasons,” explained Jessica Lawson, Habitat LA’s Disaster Recovery Program Manager. “One is because the deadline had already passed for CalFire’s annual brush clearance of flammable vegetation; she would be fined if the work was not completed. We're also heading into fire season and clearing the brush will help keep Naomi and the community safer.”
Home preservation in Pico Rivera
When the City of Pico Rivera reached out to Habitat LA about a homeowner in need, we began working with homeowner John R. to help preserve his home.
John’s father was a WWII Veteran who bought the family home in 1963. John and his disabled brother have continued to live in the home since the passing of their parents but due to their fixed income, they were unable to clear out the overgrown vegetation. Volunteers from One|A Potter’s House Church were on the job, efficiently bringing the property up to code.
“It’s wonderful to see congregations from diverse backgrounds and spiritual traditions out serving together and supporting our home preservation and wildfire relief programs,” said Chris Untiet, Habitat LA Faith Relations Director. For information on how your faith organization can volunteer with Habitat LA, please contact Chris via email: chrisu@habitatla.org
Supporting a Veteran’s family
The widow of a WWII Veteran, Maria P. lives with her daughter and her family. Since Maria’s husband passed, it's been a challenge to manage repairs around their Pico Rivera home due to health issues and other expenses. While the aging roof already had three layers, it desperately needed to be replaced. Habitat LA’s Home Preservation team eagerly took on—and completed—completed the roofing project despite the warm weather. Although Southern California’s “rainy season” is likely months away, Maria and her family no longer need to worry about a leaky roof.
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On Site with the CIM Group
How one employee set up a team build day at Habitat LA’s Isabel Villas
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CIM Group senior construction manager Bryan Mione has a growing Habitat resume. He is a member of Habitat Young Professionals, has been a Habitat volunteer for several years, and can now add helping to organize a team build day for his fellow coworkers to that list.
“We were already involved in a lot of programs, a lot of organizations and fundraisers,” he said. “Word spread quickly, and it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.”
CIM Group is a community-focused real estate and infrastructure owner, operator, lender and developer headquartered in Los Angeles. In 2021 they partnered with Habitat for Humanity on a national level and renewed that partnership with Habitat LA again in 2022. The partnership includes sponsoring employee build days and continuing to support Habitat home preservation efforts.
Director of Development, Victoria Green, shared her excitement about the partnership. “Today we are here with CIM Group on the site of what will be eight new homes. They’re doing their first build day with Habitat LA, and we are so thrilled to have them on site,” she said.
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Creating the Art of Community
How we’re helping to bring neighbors together
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GROWING BETTER TOGETHER by Mister Toledo |
A neighborhood is made up of more than the homes and businesses found within its borders. At the heart is the community— collaborating to enrich the lives of each family and individual. In addition to serving the Washington neighborhood of Long Beach through new home construction, neighborhood revitalization, and installation of safety features, Habitat LA is a proud partner in Together We Make Change. See how community art plays a visible role
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Roz Shops the ReStore
Meet a local Interior Design Specialist who counts on the Habitat LA ReStores for many of her design practice needs
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"I love the hunt!” says Roz Walker. We spent a day shadowing Roz as she shopped for a myriad of goods—from building supplies to home décor. Check out our exclusive video to find out what inspires Roz and how she brings her clients’ design dreams to life.
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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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