Sponsors of Habitat for Humanity’s 2024 Carter Work Project
Thank you to the generous sponsors of the 2024 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project.
Habitat-USAID/BHA fellowship cohorts
Habitat-USAID/BHA’s Humanitarian Shelter and Settlements fellowship offered students a chance to deepen their research and boost their professional careers. Learn about the fellows who were part of this innovative program and their inspiring work.
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Habitat USAID/BHA fellowship cohorts
Preserving a lifetime of memories
“No matter where my kids go, when we talk about home, everybody’s heart is here,” says Peggy, a disabled U.S. Air Force veteran who was able to repair her family home with the support of Habitat and The Home Depot Foundation.
More than 20 years ago, Peggy and her children moved into the home of her dreams. The mother of three remembers teaching her kids to ride their bikes on the sidewalk in front of the house, sending them to the elementary school “right up the hill” and walking them to the park to play. “Every nook and cranny. Every flaw that somebody might point out, I can look at, and it’s a special memory,” says Peggy, a disabled U.S. Air Force veteran. “It became my home in such a personal, special way.”
Now that her children — 26-year-old U.S. Air Force pilot Connor, 24-year-old Jordan and 20-year-old Jonathon — are adults, Peggy had hoped to maintain a healthy home they could always return to. But as the years passed, her house began to require expensive repairs – like fixing a deteriorating roof – that Peggy couldn’t afford to make. A string of personal losses and the post-traumatic stress disorder she’d developed from her military service made it even more challenging for her to fix her home.
In 2017, a tornado struck Peggy’s neighborhood, accelerating the problems with her roof, and eventually water began saturating her walls and coming into her home. “I went through my dining room, my great room, the hallway and the back bedrooms, and there were water spots everywhere from water coming into the house through the roof,” Peggy says.
Peggy also needed to have her chimney repaired and her windows replaced. During Nebraska’s cold winters, she and her daughter, Jordan, would wrap up in blankets, gloves and scarves while sitting in front of the fireplace to stay warm because their home couldn’t hold heat. The mother and daughter both have a condition that causes blood flow to slow with even minor exposure to cold temperatures. “We’re very sensitive to the cold, and it causes us to be in so much physical pain,” Peggy says.
Generations of service
As the daughter of a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a veteran herself, Peggy was always more comfortable giving help than receiving it and was reluctant to apply for the home repair program at Habitat for Humanity of Omaha. “She was pretty adamant that there were other veterans who were in worse shape than she was, and that I should be helping them,” says Mark Coffin, Habitat Omaha’s veteran outreach coordinator.
Eventually, Peggy agreed to apply and was able to replace her roof and windows and have her chimney repaired. “I mean, I can’t describe what it felt like the moment somebody knocked on my door and said, ‘We’re here to help you.’ I sobbed for hours because I was so thankful,” she says.
The repairs to Peggy’s home were possible because of Habitat’s Repair Corps program, which has been funded by The Home Depot Foundation since 2012. The program has helped more than 1,800 U.S. military veterans and their families. “The ability to make a difference in the lives of military veterans like Peggy through improved housing conditions is a priority for our company,” says Sean Vissar, The Home Depot Foundation’s manager of national programs and strategic partnerships. “It’s why we partner with Habitat to help military veterans and their families complete critical home repairs. It is a deeply meaningful way to honor the service of those who have given so much to our country.”
A home filled with love and music
Now that her home is safe and healthy, Peggy looks forward to being able to share it with her children and grandchildren for years to come. “No matter where my kids go, when we talk about home, everybody’s heart is here,” Peggy says.
With her house repairs complete, Peggy can also host the group she leads that helps fellow veterans cope with PTSD through the healing power of music. Peggy teaches the group guitar and finds pride and purpose in sharing her home. “It’s helped me greatly just to have that sense of family and support coming into my home and be able to continue to make memories in the home that I love.”
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Preserving a lifetime of memories
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Community development financial institutions
Community development financial institutions can reduce those barriers by unlocking access to basic financial services for those traditionally excluded by mainstream financial systems.
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Community development financial institutions
Habitat for Humanity leverages advocacy and innovation to expand and advance housing solutions in communities around the world
Habitat for Humanity’s corporate partners to support affordable housing this holiday season
Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar celebrates the holiday season with the sweet return of DIY gingerbread house kits supporting Habitat for Humanity
Home makes the difference
David wanted nothing more than to provide a safe and decent home for his young son and daughter. Now, with the support of Habitat and the Wells Fargo Foundation, his family lives in an affordable home where they can thrive.
On move-in day, 4-year-old Grayson and his sister, 8-year-old Cadence, sprinted into their new bedrooms. “They were so excited,” says their father, David. “They explored every little inch of the house.”
Move-in day meant relief for the family of three. An expensive housing market had made it difficult to find safe and affordable housing, forcing David and his kids to move in with his parents. David dreamed of owning his own home that allowed Cadence and Grayson their own rooms and more space for them all. He wanted to raise his kids near family in the community they’ve always known and loved, but it didn’t seem possible.
When David’s mother saw a news article about a new townhome community being built by Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity, she encouraged him to apply. David’s hope grew as he passed each milestone in the application process. “Once I got to the third stage, I started to imagine I’d actually get accepted,” he says.
Photo courtesy of Explore Marketing LLC.
Mellissa Kamanya, Bend-Redmond Habitat’s director of grants management, remembers first meeting David. “It was clear that as he was stepping up and becoming full-time dad to these two kiddos, he needed some more space and some more privacy,” she says.
Building community
Once he was selected to become a Habitat homeowner, David began working on his sweat equity hours, which included helping to build his own home and volunteering to help build other homes in the townhome community. During the builds, he fostered relationships with his future neighbors and their families that have grown deeper since the family has moved in. Now the children play together while the grownups talk.
The family’s favorite activity is gathering together in their living room to watch movies, and Cadence enjoys venturing out to the second-story deck in the evenings to take pictures of the sunsets and nearby mountains. David loves that the home features solar panels that help lower monthly utility costs and it’s in a convenient location for him and the children. “We’re really close to the park and their school,” says David, whose job at a medical equipment manufacturing company is nearby as well.
Working together to advance affordable housing
Grant funding from the Wells Fargo Foundation helped make David’s mortgage more affordable by supporting the construction cost of his home. “The financial contribution from Wells Fargo allowed us to structure a mortgage that was based on David’s income, which gave David the security that he was taking on a loan he could manage,” says Mellissa.
Since 2010, Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation have donated more than $119 million to Habitat for Humanity International and local affiliates in support of affordable and sustainable housing. Damon Dishman, Wells Fargo’s small business director for the Pacific region, has volunteered with Habitat for more than two decades and has seen firsthand the significant impacts of affordable homeownership for families and communities. “When I think about David’s story of wanting a safe place for his kids to grow up and how he sought parks and walkability, I know that also creates stability for not only David and his family, but it also helps create stability for the local small business community,” says Damon. “David works for a local business, and him having a home helps businesses operate in the local market because its employees are able to live in the communities where they work.”
Pirates, butterflies and peace of mind
David, Cadence and Grayson are settled in and thriving in their new home, and David is working on decorating the children’s bedrooms. “I have a friend who is going to surprise the kids with murals. My son wants a beach and pirate theme. My daughter wants fairies and butterflies,” David says.
Now that he has a home with an affordable mortgage and his children have plenty of room to grow, David has peace of mind. “Home is my safe place,” he says.
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Home makes the difference
Home makes the difference
Oregon, USA
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Habitat COO Patrick Canagasingham urges COP27 climate change conference delegates to prioritize adequate and affordable housing
