A Habitat for Humanity build site is a place where people of all backgrounds unite for a common purpose — where volunteers come together and join future homeowners to build affordable homes, hone skills, create memories and develop friendships.

Mike first witnessed the power of Habitat when the 23-year-old participated in a Truman Heritage Habitat for Humanity intergenerational build alongside other young adults and a group of mostly retired volunteers. He wasn’t sure how he might fit in with the older volunteers, but his nerves quickly turned into enthusiasm.

He began showing up early for the weekly build days in Eastern Jackson County, Missouri, eager to learn new skills and spend time with fellow builders. Mike created a particularly close bond with 69-year-old volunteer Tom. The two spent hours together each week, exchanging stories while renovating a pair of homes.

During lunch, the young adults and older volunteers sat on paint buckets and lawn chairs in a semi-circle in the driveway and shared meals, stories, advice and laughter. “I felt like I was in a whole new family,” Mike says.

Habitat connects younger and older volunteers

Truman Heritage Habitat’s intergenerational project is part of Team Up, a nationwide initiative launched in February 2024 by Catholic Charities USA, Habitat for Humanity International, Interfaith America and YMCA of the USA to help people build connections across differences with others in their communities through service. Team Up was first announced and endorsed by U.S. President Joe Biden during the bipartisan United We Stand Summit hosted at the White House in September 2022.

Through Team Up, Habitat affiliates across the U.S. design local projects to bring people together. Recognizing that their existing volunteer base was older and that they struggled to engage younger volunteers, Truman Heritage Habitat created their intergenerational Team Up project to help address the issue.

To identify young adults to participate, the affiliate partnered with Cornerstones of Care, a local youth and family support service organization. Mike and his cohort are part of Cornerstones of Care’s transitional living program, designed to support youth leaving foster care or struggling with housing and homelessness. The affiliate plans to expand its partnership with Cornerstones of Care and other local organizations to continue hosting intergenerational groups.

Facilitating intergenerational connection

Truman Heritage Habitat matched the young adults with several of the affiliate’s regular, weekly volunteers, including Tom. The participants gathered every Thursday for several months in late 2023 to help renovate two homes.

After each week’s build day, the young adults received a tool to keep. By the end of the project, in addition to his toolbelt and tools, Mike had also collected critical construction skills like how to install siding and flooring.

Tom says the lessons were a “two-way street” and that the older volunteers “got more out of it sometimes than the young people.” From learning new phone tricks to bantering over lunch, he says, “The project was a really eye-opening experience for all of us. There was never a dull moment.”

“It was like my whole life changed”

Mike was raised in foster care and was living alone in Kansas City, Missouri, when he joined Cornerstones of Care’s transitional living program. When Mike became part of Truman Heritage Habitat’s Team Up project, he says, “It was like my whole life changed.” Energized by Habitat’s mission and the camaraderie of working side by side with fellow volunteers, Mike looked for ways to stay engaged beyond the 6-week project.

That’s when he learned about Habitat’s partnership with AmeriCorps, a federal agency connecting individuals and organizations across the U.S. to tackle the nation’s most pressing challenges. The Habitat AmeriCorps program places AmeriCorps members with Habitat affiliates to help build and repair homes, expand affordable housing services and engage their community — all while gaining lifelong skills and hands-on nonprofit experience.

Mike applied to join Habitat AmeriCorps and calls the day he was accepted into the program one of the best days of his life. He plans to serve two years as a Habitat AmeriCorps member before pursuing a full-time career in construction.

“I have a new job, a new community, a new set of friends and new skills,” Mike says. “It’s one of those things you have to put yourself out there to know. If you don’t put your foot out there, you don’t know what life can bring.”

Working together to serve more families

Financial support from Lowe’s helped offset the cost of Sheila’s home repairs. “Lowe’s made Sheila’s repair achievable for us,” says Sheila Overstreet, Habitat Franklin County’s executive director. “Their grant helped us with the cost of her repair. Without that funding, we couldn’t do as many repairs as we’re performing in Franklin County.”

Since 2003, Lowe’s has donated more than US$92 million to Habitat. Their support over the past two decades has helped more than 18,000 families across more than 600 communities in the U.S., Canada and India improve their living conditions. In 2022 alone, 78 affiliates were able to complete 483 repair and community revitalization projects with the help of grants funded by Lowe’s.

“At Lowe’s, we know housing conditions are critical to the prosperity of families and communities,” says Julie Yenichek, Lowe’s senior director of community relations. “The critical home repair and rehabilitation projects we support with Habitat help families improve their homes and can help older adults with fixed incomes age in place with dignity.”

Preserving a lasting legacy

Habitat Franklin County replaced Sheila’s roof and remodeled the bathroom. The bathroom modifications — fixing a sunken-in floor, moving and replacing the toilet, and installing a walk-in shower with a seat — all made the home more accessible. Sheila’s hallway floor was also repaired to ensure the structure was stable.

Sheila calls her repairs “the best thing that ever happened. I don’t ever have to worry about the rain coming in the house. I don’t have to worry about my shower. I don’t have to worry about anything,” Sheila says.

“The neighborhood has changed a lot,” says Trincella Bonnet, a resident. “There’s more pride for the community. I’m very excited about the future of McComb-Veazey.”

Partnering with residents 

For decades, Lafayette Habitat has partnered with families to build affordable places to call home. In 2011, the affiliate began partnering closely with the McComb-Veazey Neighborhood Coterie, a resident-led planning body that formed in 2006 to create neighborhood revitalization plans.

“Residents in the coterie had been encouraged to dream big,” says Melinda Taylor, Lafayette Habitat’s executive director. “But some of them had become discouraged because there weren’t resources to implement the neighborhood plan. We were able to come in as a partner, listen to their needs and ask, ‘How can we be a part of getting you to where you want to be?’”

In 2018, when Lafayette Habitat began participating in a five-year project to evaluate Habitat’s approaches to neighborhood revitalization, the affiliate was able to connect the coterie to resources that would help them implement their neighborhood plan. 

Identifying needs and investing in projects 

Residents identified building a central community gathering space as a top priority. Lafayette Habitat worked with the coterie to design and renovate a formerly adjudicated property owned by the Lafayette Consolidated Government. The affiliate manages and maintains the Community House, a one-room space that hosts coterie meetings, local events, trainings and more. 

Additionally, Lafayette Habitat and the resident-led coterie — together with local partners and the city government — have: 

• Built more than 40 affordable homes and acquired dozens of additional blighted properties for redevelopment.
• Converted a former tire shop and filling station adjacent to the Community House into an open-air pavilion for events. 
• Launched a youth entrepreneurship academy where 11- to 17-year-olds learn to develop, refine and pitch their business ideas.
• Advocated successfully for the development of a pocket park, giving neighborhood kids a safe place to play. 

“This community has been asked what they wanted for years, and nothing materialized,” says Tina Shelvin Bingham, a coterie leader and Lafayette Habitat’s community development director. “Habitat and other funders were able to bring resources into the community and help us sell the vision of what could happen.”

Residents are energized by the physical changes in the neighborhood and are participating more in community gatherings. A survey found that 76% of McComb-Veazey residents engaged in at least one community meeting or event over the last five years.

Shaping the future of McComb-Veazey

Residents like Trincella are playing a critical role in shaping the future of their neighborhood. They have big dreams for their community and are using their collective voice to continue to advocate for the changes they want to see.

“Since I’ve been a part of the coterie, they have helped strengthen my voice,” says Trincella. “At one time, I was scared to speak. But now I feel more confident in speaking up for the rights of the community and for what their needs are. They know my voice.”