3 minute read
Nonprofit Spotlight: Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County
BY COLIN HEFFINGER
So often, we hear that there is power in numbers, it takes a village, and real change is made by the people. For those struggling to achieve homeownership, even with consistent hard work and perseverance, these words couldn’t be more accurate. To keep pace with Delaware’s consistent growth, more than 20,000 housing units need to be built over the next six years. Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County, a local extension of the global nonprofit housing organization spanning more than 70 countries, has brought together Delaware communities for over 38 years to help families become homebuyers.
Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County (HFHNCC) was formed in 1986 by a group of DuPont employees who attended the same church and met the original founder of Habitat for Humanity. In its first 10 years of operation, HFHNCC was completely led by volunteers. It wasn’t until 1996 that they hired their first paid staff member, Kevin Smith, who has served as their chief executive officer to this day.
“We create homeownership opportunities for families who are making between 30% and 80% of the average median income in New Castle County,” explains Smith. “We’re working to build 15 new homes each year, as well as collaborate with the Kent County and Sussex County Habitats to collectively support Delaware as a whole.”
Even beyond yearly housing goals, HFHNCC furthers its impact by providing repair work to struggling non-HFH homeowners, especially seniors who may have a hard time keeping up with home maintenance. With a recent increase in funding, the team has dramatically expanded its repairs program from just 15-20 homes a year to 150 in 2023.
“We’ve also launched a new pilot program that allows applicants just beneath our homebuyer criteria to rent a home for a year or two at an affordable rate,” says Smith. “This gives them time to resolve their credit issues and gain access to our new homes program. Additionally, we’re excited to collaborate with nonprofits like Sunday Breakfast Mission, serving as their general contractor renovating existing houses, so they can serve more clients.”
At the heart of HFHNCC are its defining values and empowering partnerships. Team members hold each other accountable to set a standard for how they work with clients and the community, allowing the HFHNCC team to overcome hurdles in being a builder, realtor, lender, retailer, and service company by staying centered on the families they impact. Even more encouragement comes from incredible, lasting partners like DuPont, which has been a strong financial and volunteer partner since HFHNCC’s inception.
“The affordable housing crisis continues to worsen and is one of the greatest challenges facing our communities,” reflects Smith. “The good news is that it’s finally getting more attention from all walks of life— politicians, faith groups, corporations, for-profit builders, and more. This gives me hope that we can work together and be as creative as possible to solve this problem. Looking ahead, HFHNCC is determined to work with other nonprofit organizations that help with housing and continue to ensure Delaware families have safe and reliable homes.”
Nonprofits & for-profits interested in partnering with Habitat for Humanity New Castle County to create new homes for Delaware families can reach out to Kevin Smith at klsmith@ habitatncc.org for more information.
