I feel honored and privileged to serve as the CEO for Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County. My first month here has been amazing! I am thankful for the opportunity to work with a great team consisting of Board of Directors, staff, donors, volunteers, community & municipal partners and others.

I am especially excited about the recent funding that we received to participate in Habitat for Humanity International’s Barriers to Black Homeownership Project. The project was inspired by Habitat's ministry's historical roots and an urgent opportunity to increase Black Homeownership throughout the United States. For more than 40 years, Habitat for Humanity has worked toward a world where everyone has a decent place to live. We are committed to advancing racial equity.

Thanks to all of you who have reached out with congratulatory messages and also sharing of your desire to get involved with the work that we do. We welcome you to join the community of volunteers who have contributed countless hours to our mission. Your time, talent and treasure positively impacts the lives of families by providing opportunities for us to successfully take them on a journey of affordable homeownership. It warms my heart to feel the joy that families share when they move into their Habitat home. At Habitat CFC, we don't just build houses, we build families.

With a booming housing market and skyrocketing construction costs - Habitat CFC needs your help.

Home is more important than ever, but a booming housing market has put an affordable and decent home out of reach for many families in our community.

At the same time, construction costs have skyrocketed over the past year, meaning that Habitat CFC is paying an average of $12,500 in additional construction costs per house.

We need your help. Your donation means that we won't have to face the difficult decision of slowing construction due to increased costs. It means that families will not have to wait any longer to build the strength, stability, and self-reliance of an affordable and decent place to call home.

Congratulations to our future homeowners on recently completing their Sweat Equity hours! We appreciate all the hard work they put in every week. They all were dedicated workers who always showed up with a smile and a willingness to help however possible. We look forward to the day you can move into your brand-new home!

Habitat families are required to partner with us and complete all hours of “sweat equity” prior to purchasing their home. Sweat Equity includes, but is not limited to, time spent building homes, volunteering at the ReStore, participating in home buyer educational programs, and attending community events.

Register for the silent auction and bid on all of the great items from the comfort of home! You can also purchase a ticket to attend the dinner reception at Country Club of Fairfield on September 20 from 5:00-6:30 PM. Bid on silent auction items, and enjoy cocktails, a light dinner, and a brief program.

For more information, please contact Suzanne Francis, Events Coordinator at sfrancis@habitatcfc.org or 203-520-7690.

On Thursday September 9^th, Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County will be hosting a webinar focusing on advocacy, how it affects our mission, and specifically how affordable housing impacts women and families.

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

Women Build is Habitat CFC's program for women who want to get involved in their community, building homes for families and women in need.

Women Build’s goal is to recruit, educate and nurture women to build – and advocate for – decent and affordable houses in our shared community.

Volunteers raise funds, learn new skills, and build houses to move families out of substandard housing and into decent, affordable homes. Engagement of women in the building process is empowering on so many different levels. We strongly feel that our Women Build volunteers benefit from this program just as much as the families benefit from their time and effort out on our build sites.

On Sunday August 15th, Habitat CFC’s Youth United group organized and participated in a car wash fundraiser at Notre Dame High School in Fairfield. The project was organized by the youth volunteers themselves and raised over $2,000! Youth United volunteer Pedro Espada went above and beyond putting this project together-- securing the venue, creating flyers, and securing both food and monetary sponsors.

Youth United coordinates build days, fundraisers, and advocacy so that young people can contribute to Habitat CFC’s mission of providing decent and affordable housing.

If you are interested in joining Youth United and receiving updates about future youth volunteer opportunities, please visit http://youthunited.habitatcfc.volunteerhub.com/.

Now more than ever the need for safe affordable housing is at an all-time high. We believe that it is our mission to advocate for the housing need.

Over the next three months, Habitat CFC will be hosting a series of webinars focusing on advocacy and how it affects our mission. We feel that the voices of young people should be empowered and given the tools to affect change.

Throughout our 3 webinars we will introduce advocacy, explain how it affects our mission to create more affordable housing in our communities, and lastly focus on how to begin advocating right now.

Wednesday, September 15th @ 7:00pm: Advocacy 101

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.

We want to extend the biggest thank you and congratulations to our two AmeriCorps Construction Crew Leaders Kevin and Mark, and our VISTA member Chanttal on completing their year of service with us.

Their service year has faced unique challenges, but through it all our AmeriCorps memebers kept a great attitude and work ethic. Happily, our Construction Crew Leaders were able to work alongside the core volunteers, future homeowners, and more recently volunteer groups. Mark, Kevin, & Chanttal were all valuable members of our team and will be missed.

We wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavors.

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 William Street and Clinton Avenue.

To apply, download an application here.

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

email preferred – donate@restorecfc.org

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