How Habitat Works

Habitat for Humanity International

Habitat for Humanity International (HfHI) is a nonprofit, ecumenical, Christian housing ministry. Founded in 1976, Habitat seeks to eliminate poverty housing all over the world by making safe, decent, affordable housing a matter of conscience and faith in action. Since its founding, HfHI has built more than 175,000 homes; approximately 30,000 of those are in the United States.

Habitat for Humanity’s work is accomplished at the community level by affiliates — independent, locally run, nonprofit organizations. As an affiliate, Habitat Wake coordinates all aspects of Habitat home building in Wake County — fund raising, building site selection, partner family selection and support, house construction, and mortgage servicing.

Habitat Wake History & Accomplishments

Habitat for Humanity of Wake County (Habitat Wake) was founded in 1985 and completed its first home in 1986.  With strong support from local churches and corporations, the affiliate grew quickly, producing an average of 11 houses annually between 1989 and 1999.  In those years, Habitat Wake created two successful subdivisions – the 21-home Worthdale Forest neighborhood in Raleigh was completed in 1991 and the 25-home Jubilee Court community in Wake Forest was completed in the summer of 1999.

In more recent years, Habitat Wake has produced 18-20 houses per year.  In 2003, production climbed to 50 homes.  This rapid increase in production was largely attributable to the Habitat Builders Blitz.  In November 2002, Habitat Wake held the first blitz, a focused one-week build sponsored by local home-builders.  Under the leadership of Tom Gipson, of Thomas Gipson Homes, this event resulted in the building of 12 homes in just one week.  In December 2003, as part of the second Builders Blitz, 24 new homes were constructed. 

In April of 2004, Habitat for Humanity International recognized Habitat Wake as the National Habitat Affiliate of the Year among large urban affiliates.

Community Support

Partnerships have been the key to our affiliate’s increasing productivity and success.  More than 50 churches and 200 local corporations have joined us as house sponsors in the last five years.  Homeowners have also been important partners – aside from performing a minimum of 250 “sweat equity” hours on-site, homeowner mortgage payments will contribute more than a half million dollars to the fiscal year 2005-2006 budget. 

Retail with a Mission

Habitat Wake established a ReStore (then called the ReUse Center) in 1991 to sell new and used building materials to the public at discounted prices. The retail has since expanded into a 50,000 square foot facility, growing to be one of the largest clearinghouses of new and salvaged building materials in North Carolina.  Shoppers find lumber, plumbing fixtures, lighting, hardwood furniture, paint, windows, doors, cabinets, tile, blinds, shutters, appliances and more. Donors, both commercial and non-commerical, get the benefit of a tax deduction. As a result of re-directing materials, the community benefits from the environmental impact: the ReStore diverted 2,000 tons of usable materials from landfills in 2006. (1,200 tons in 2005.).

The ReStore spawned a DeConstruction program about a decade later. Innovatively, the ReStore now acquires inventory of new and used building materials from both community donors and the DeCon program. The DeCon program salvages building materials as well as interesting architectural features by hand from residences being demolished. (We've discovered that crews can reuse or recycle up to 85% of a house’s building materials.)

All profits from ReStore sales and DeCon projects support the building of new Habitat homes in our community.

The Need to Grow and Respond with Love to the Needs of Our Neighbors
Habitat Wake serves all of Wake County – seeking to build homes convenient to schools, places of work and public transportation. Households earning between 25 and 60% of area median income are Habitat’s target population. This demographic is extremely vulnerable to rising rents and house prices. The Habitat housing program, through homeowner education and affordable mortgages, empowers families to move from high-priced, overcrowded, ill-maintained housing to new homes built to exceptional construction standards in safe neighborhoods.