Habitat Tucson FY2018-2019 Annual Report

putting down

roots

annual report FY2018-2019

For years, there was a blighted field in the Amphi neighborhood.

But you transformed it into Minton Court!

Not just Minton, though—you partnered with volunteers to build, repair, and dedicate homes in the Desert Vista, Copper Vista, and Corazon del Pueblo neighborhoods as well. You ensured families across Southern Arizona received a hand-up to becoming selfsufficient homeowners. Thank you!

You envisioned that the neighborhoods could finally become what Habitat Tucson always saw: a collection of safe, affordable homes—a place for lowincome families to put down roots and make forward-looking choices.

The statistics we’re fighting against are staggering. The vast majority of oneor two-bedroom homes in Arizona are priced at twice what was demanded just five years ago. Two-thirds of renters across the country can’t afford to purchase a home and, in fact, the National Low Income Housing Coalition found that a renter working full-time at the minimum wage cannot afford a twobedroom apartment ANYWHERE in this country without being cost-burdened.

Every action you take with Habitat Tucson is an act of retaliation against that injustice.

This fiscal year, you fought against the housing crisis through the production of over 16 newly constructed homes, housing 16 families including 43 children, and completed over 76 critical home repairs and A Brush With Kindness projects, impacting the lives of more than 250 individuals in Southern Arizona.

Thank you for standing with families in Tucson and investing in their futures.

Your partnership is proof that walls and roofs build more than shelter. They build possibility. Stability. Strength. And love.

In partnership,

T. VanHook, CEO Habitat for Humanity Tucson

letter

from our CEO

community

impact FY2018-2019

16 families, including 43 children, moved into new, safe, energyefficient, and stable homes.

76

home repair projects, including 37 A Brush With Kindness projects, improved the quality of life for seniors, veterans, families, and individuals.

2,308

volunteers helped build and repair homes in and around the greater Tucson community.

50,096

hours were donated to support Habitat Tucson’s mission to build a more compassionate and just world.

6,250

sweat equity hours were completed by homebuyers.

2,392

individual donors supported home building and repair efforts in our community.

1,040 tons saved from the landfill annually thanks to HabiStore donations.

more than 253 individuals in Tucson benefited from the kindness of Habitat Tucson supporters, volunteers—and you.

putting down roots The Amphi community posed a unique challenge for Habitat Tucson’s affordable housing program. Why? Because Amphi is comprised of more renters than homeowners, having only about 13% owner-occupied households. Furthermore, the majority of Amphi residents are youth aged 17 or younger.

When compared with the state of Arizona, the percentage of Amphi residents under 18 is double that of the state.

Thanks to an innovative multi-sector collaboration, Habitat Tucson joined hands with other community organizations including Tucson Foundations, Literacy Connects, the City of Tucson, the International Rescue Committee, the Amphi School District, the Amphi Neighborhood Association, the Woods Memorial Library, and more to establish the Minton Court neighborhood.

Building safe, affordable housing in this neighborhood was urgent and critical.

Named after long-time Habitat Tucson volunteers Bob and Rose Minton, this affordable subdivision is the culmination of community volunteerism and partnerships that will help Amphi residents break out of the cycle of poverty.

in Minton Court “Habitat Tucson is, to me, the model for volunteers, staff, and homeowner relationships,” said Bob Minton. With those ideals in mind, we broke ground and raised the walls on 9 new homes.

These two-story houses all contain an accessible bathroom and zero-level entry on the ground floor and are Energy Star rated, with Indoor airPLUS and WaterSense certifications—the EPA trifecta of high performance homes.

But Habitat Tucson also wanted to establish a thriving community beyond the Minton Court neighborhood boundaries.

Habitat partnered with Literacy Connects to develop the

Literacy Gardens, run and operated by the International Rescue Committee. This community garden provides a space to grow and harvest agriculture, and acts as a space of learning and community for all Amphi residents.

By collaborating with like-minded/missioned non-profit organizations, community volunteers, and low-income families to build affordable, safe, and decent homes, Habitat Tucson restored pride and dignity to existing homes and built new, sustainable houses in the Amphi community.

We demonstrate our commitment to this community through partnership—by building plans around the Amphi residents’ hopes and dreams, and responding to their housing needs.

“Without Ha When homebuyer Sherry looks across her life, it’s a little unbelievable. “I’ve moved probably a hundred times in my lifetime so far,” she says. “I just want a home. It’s been my dream for always. I’ve always wanted somewhere to call my own.”

When Sherry was very young, both of her parents passed away. She and her siblings were passed around to aunts and uncles, then from foster home to foster home.

Sherry felt like a burden.

“None of them really wanted us,” she remembers.

As an adult, Sherry survived homelessness and an abusive marriage. None of it was easy, but Sherry believes it made her stronger and more compassionate.

there’s no place like home

Now Sherry and her adult daughter Skye live together and support one another. “I just want something to leave my daughter,” says Sherry. “To have enough to get by without having to worry.” Right now, those dreams are hard to achieve.

In their apartment complex, the laundry room is frequently broken into, and it’s not uncommon to see drug activity around.

abitat I would never, ever have a home.”

Recently, a severe leak flooded the hallway, which meant Skye and Sherry were bailing out water from their apartment for weeks. Plus, there was a cockroach infestation their landlord couldn’t resolve.

But every time Sherry lifts a hammer at a build, or sees the walls going up in Minton Court, she feels her heart swell with hope.

She will be moving into the Women Build house soon, and knows that her strength—combined with the strength and community of hundreds of women builders—will create a lasting foundation of stability and self-reliance in her future. All of her dreams are coming true, and this home represents a new life that’s just within reach.

For Sherry, a home of her own means a place of peace. A safe place for her family to thrive.

“It’s amazing where I am,” says Sherry, smiling through tears. “Without Habitat I would never, ever have a home.”

“I just want something to leave my daughter. To have enough to get by without having to worry.”

Nancy’s lifelong giving “Habitat is such a good steward of donors’ money.”

Nancy remembers when all of the Habitat Tucson neighborhoods were just blank dirt. She remembers how empty lots transformed into hundreds of homes and thriving neighborhoods.

When Donor Relations Manager Nancy Rude first joined the Habitat team 17 years ago, it was a much smaller operation. Just a handful of people in the office and only one paid construction worker.

What started out as very Mom-and-Pop developed into a thriving community.

Passionate people were all devoted

to the mission: everyone deserves a decent place to live, and everyone can do something to help make that possible for another family.

“When I open the mail, and someone sends a twenty dollar check, and they write on a little sticky, ‘I sure wish I could do more, but this is what I can do right now’—oh my gosh, it breaks my heart!” says Nancy.

“There’s no barrier for entry – no matter what you want to do or how much you want to give, you can do it.”

In June of 2019, Nancy retired. She and her husband are Habitat legacy donors, and continue to help families by including Habitat Tucson in their will. They believe in the power of homeownership, how it creates a foundation for a better life.

“Habitat is such a good steward of donors’ money,” Nancy says. “If people want to help the aging in place, we put money there. If they want this to go to plumbing supplies, we make it happen. My husband and I decided to include Habitat in our will because we know Habitat is going to use our money wisely.”

building hope for veterans

Serving those who’ve served.

A veteran who served in the 82nd Airborne Corp, John Johnson served as an infantryman in the Vietnam War and enlisted in the Army National Guard, serving for 22 years. Now in retirement, John Johnson struggled with the repairs his aging home required.

A friend called on John’s behalf and Habitat Tucson’s Home Repair Supervisor arrived and walked him through the process.

His home required new roof coating, fascia repairs, a new HVAC system, new dual-pane windows, electrical, drywall repairs, and an accessible shower.

After the interior work was completed, Faith in Action volunteers teamed up to repair the exterior. The new coat of marigold paint was the cherry on top!

“I like it all!” John said, beaming. “The volunteers were terrific and they’ve done a wonderful job.”

The repairs were possible through a generous grant from The Home Depot, supporting critical home repairs for veteran homeowners. This grant helps fund our Veterans Build program, allowing Habitat to partner with veterans who made a selfless commitment to our country through their service.

What’s incredible about veterans like John Johnson is that his service hasn’t ended – only changed.

Because for the past 12 years, John has volunteered with the VFW, repairing and delivering medical supplies to veterans in need in our community.

That’s part of what’s so incredible about this experience. John saw his community rallying together – this time to support him.

Herb has been volunteering at the HabiStore for the past 4 years and appreciates the incredible community he’s built as a volunteer. “Everyone here at the HabiStore is phenomenal. I’ve got good friends, good fun – it’s an enjoyable environment. If it wasn’t that way, I wouldn’t be here.”

Herb has also bonded with many Habitat homebuyers over the years, who complete some of their sweat equity at the store. He sees both the labor of the homebuyers and the sale of materials as crucial to Habitat’s mission, to make the world a more just and compassionate place.

In the past year, thanks to generous donations from individuals and community businesses, the HabiStore was able to divert 1,040 tons of building materials, appliances, new and gently used furniture, and home accessories from the local landfill. That’s more than double the tonnage the HabiStore saved from the landfill in previous years!

1,040 tons

are saved from the landfill annually thanks to donations to the HabiStore

The HabiStore serves as a recycling hub that helps keep usable household items out of landfills. All sales generated by the HabiStore directly support the building of additional energy-efficient, affordable homes in the Tucson community.

“Everything we do here helps build their house,” Herb emphasizes. “Habitat’s mission here is phenomenal. The money we raise for that is amazing.”

americorps in action

AmeriCorps Team Leader Claire (far left) with her team

“There’s too much going on just to sit idly by,” said AmeriCorps team leader Claire Joseph. That’s what made her want to join AmeriCorps and lead her team right here at Habitat Tucson.

The team helped create the garden with Literacy Connects, completed neighborhood beautification projects, and built alongside the families that would be moving into Habitat homes.

AmeriCorps offered Claire the chance to be community-oriented and to put her idealism into action. Her AmeriCorps team members, Sarah Lehman and Joseph Wiley, couldn’t agree more.

They completed surveys in a distressed neighborhood and partnered with the Tucson Fire Department and Tucson Police to hand out toys and facilitate children’s activities with Santa during the holidays in that same neighborhood.

“I want to work at a place with a mission and values that I truly believe in,” said Sarah, who is taking a gap year before pursuing her Masters in Clinical Psychology.

Claire, Sarah, and Joseph all grew up giving back to their communities. “I grew up in a house that really valued and stressed service,” said Sarah. “When you come from a place of privilege, you need to use your voice and give back to those who are less fortunate.”

For their six weeks with Habitat, Americorps team leader Claire spearheaded many projects in the Tucson community, from painting and landscaping to replacing broken gutters in nearby neighborhoods.

“For us, what’s special about Habitat – this is our first project,” says AmeriCorps team leader Claire. “This is our first experience with AmeriCorps. It’s been incredible.”

One of their biggest take-aways has been that everything you do has an impact on others. That your actions and choices and kindnesses ripple outwards.

“There’s too much going on to sit idly by.”

Philanthropic Gifts FY18-19

$2.3 million in donations from individual donors, community groups, foundations, and corporations

$1.9 million

in in-kind gifts that include construction materials and items donated to the HabiStore

$1.2 million the estimated national value of our volunteer workforce

27 families in Mexico and Bangladesh

now have access to adequate shelter, potable water, and sanitation.

tackling the

global

housing crisis from nepal to arizona On a global village trip to Nepal, Habitat Tucson CEO T. VanHook saw firsthand how the devastation from the 2015 earthquake reached far and wide.

Thousands perished and 3.5 million were left homeless after the earthquake. But while so many people were left with virtually nothing, she was struck by their tremendous generosity of spirit.

The people of Nepal, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, were ready to do the work of transforming people’s lives.

By using different housing models and celebrating the diversity of people in our global community, we can fight the global housing crisis—here in Arizona and abroad. Together, we build lives that are stable, self-sufficient, and thriving.

“Getting a home gets people out of poverty —forever. It’s generational change.”

— T. VanHook, CEO Habitat Tucson

Wells Fargo LIFTING UP NEIGHBORHOODS Habitat For Humanity Tucson received $165,000 in grants to support the building of Minton Court, a new Habitat sub-division located in the Amphi neighborhood of Tucson. This area has the lowest homeownership rate in Pima County.

Not only did they award Habitat Tucson funding for the affordable subdivision Minton Court, but Wells Fargo also supported a home repair project for a low-income veteran in the Amphi neighborhood. And to round-out their investment in the Amphi neighborhood, Wells Fargo sponsored four free community classes for Amphi residents: “Protecting Your Financial Future,” “Healthy Homes & Neighborhoods,” “Water Harvesting and Going Green,” and “Safe Homes & Neighborhoods.”

Wells Fargo has a long legacy of serving and supporting communities, and prides themselves on prioritizing the needs of populations and communities suffering from the greatest economic disparities. They emphasize leading large-scale affordable housing projects and partnered with Habitat Tucson in 2018-2019 to empower through shelter.

“Habitat Tucson shares our focus of strengthening communities through local neighborhood revitalization efforts in support of sustainable housing,” said Don Pearson, lead regional president for Wells Fargo.

our habitat home

Both originally from Mexico, Arial and Ana Karina sought out better opportunities for their family. They value community, education, and—as scientists—appreciated how science spoke a universal language, one they wished to pass on to their children. Before purchasing their Habitat home, that wasn’t possible.

of other rental properties. With a high turnover rate, forming meaningful bonds in the neighborhood wasn’t possible. “Community is so important to us,” says Ana Karina. “I want to be able to know and trust my neighbors.”

“I had to take my daughter, Carry Anne, to the bedroom so she could learn to read, but reading out loud made it hard for Arial Jr. to focus,” says Ana Karina.

Meeting and building alongside their fellow homebuyers at the build site gave them hope. They could see that community they so desired actualizing as they finished their sweat equity and completed classes.

They lived in a crowded one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in a neighborhood comprised primarily

As Habitat homeowners, they finally have that stable community—and the best foundation for their future.

corporate & foundations sponsors

ADP Aldea Spiritual Community Amadeus Revenue Integrity, Inc. Arizona Complete Health Bank of America Bank of the West BBVA Compass BJ Drilling Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona The Boeing Company Borderlinks Cardinals Charities Citi Coffee Times Community Church at SaddleBrooke Community Foundation for Southern Arizona Community Foundation for Southern Arizona Troller Fund Connie Hillman Family Foundation Cox Communications Dorothy Harmsen and Bill Harmsen, Sr. Charitable Foundation GEICO George Mason Green and Lois C. Green Foundation Good Law, PC Gulf Coast Community Foundation Habitat for Humanity International Hamstra Heating & Cooling, Inc. Harry and Marjorie Stewart Foundation Hexagon Mining The Home Depot IBM Innovation Holdings International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

Local 570 Jade Tree Foundation

The JASAM Foundation of Arizona John and Helen Murphey Foundation Kautz Family Foundation Larry H. Miller Leidos, Inc. Levolor Lowe’s Luxury Bath Technologies Margaret E. Mooney Foundation National Bank of Arizona Northern Trust Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church Pacific Premier Bank Phoenix Suns Charities Procore Raytheon Systems Company Schneider Electric ScriptSave St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church The Starbucks Foundation The Stonewall Foundation Tucson Charity Bridge Club, Inc. Tucson Electric Power Tucson Medical Center U.S. Bank Foundation United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona Valspar Corporation Vantage West Credit Union Walter and Juliet J. Absolon Foundation Wells Fargo Housing Foundation Whirlpool Corporation YMCA Triangle Y Ranch Camp

Thanks to your tireless efforts and generous contributions, you’ve invested in the futures of hundreds of families across Southern Arizona.

Habitat Tucson Board of Directors 2018-2019 Board President Past-President Vice President Treasurer Secretary

Pete Morgan The Rev. Canon John Kitagawa Pat Hirschman and Bill Hard Lisa Cooke Jerry Miron

Board Members Allyn Caywood Carmen Cueva Kevin Henry Terry Galligan Sam Jordan Jo Riester Alyson Trinidad

John Howell Souleymane Barry Cole Salgado Rosa Reyna Theresa Medina T. VanHook, ex officio

“We treat people – no matter who they are, no matter where they come from, no matter what their story – as equals.”

Pete Morgan, Family Partner, Volunteer, Donor, and Habitat Tucson Board President