Building Community Blog

Thanks to the volunteers from Energizer and Target who came together earlier this month to help Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity repair two homes in North Minneapolis. The morning was mostly a washout due to heavy rains, but the crews got a lot done in the afternoon. Energizer donated $12,000 to support Twin Cities Habitat's work. Thank you!

Your votes will help make three ideas a reality.

Join Minnesota Idea Open in deciding the three Challenge III Champions! We received more than 600 ideas in response to the question: What is your best idea to build bonds and work together across cultures and faiths in your community? The ideas have been narrowed to the top five finalists. Your votes will make three ideas a reality! Each winning idea will receive a $15,000 grant for implementation. Vote online for your favorite finalist May 15 – 25.

Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is proud to have been an important partner in this initiative. Our special Building Together construction days focused on engaging volunteers from diverse backgrounds to build together – and served as the catalyst for 70 of the 600 ideas submitted.

For years, Heather Brierly was on the move.

Apartment to apartment, even moving in with family and friends when the safety of her living situation was unsure.

“I was calling the property manager and the police to complain about crime that I was witnessing right outside my door,” said Heather. “I felt like I was in this never ending cycle of bouncing around from place to place.”

On May 22, 2011, North Minneapolis was struck by disaster. Three tornados touched down in the area, killing one person, injuring 30 and leaving thousands without electricity and with severe damage to their homes.

Following the storm, many homes were beyond repair and got abandoned. On top of this, foreclosures continue to be a major problem for the community. 

Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity has been working with the North Side of Minneapolis for years, and in light of last year’s tornado, we have extended the amount that we are reaching out to the community. This year, Habitat is hosting a special event on NorthSide to kick off the our Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI) work in the area and celebrate the finished repairs to 30 homes in the area. The NRI project will focus on rebuilding an eight-block area in the community.

Update: Advocacy Continues ...

In the Final speeches on the House Floor the Housing Advocates were recognized by Rep. Hausman for our continuous advocacy work to ensure that Housing was included in the final bill (View it here). Once the final vote Passed and Legislators left the House Chambers several more greeted us with gratitude as we were encouraged to continue being citizen advocates, to continue fighting to end poverty housing and making housing a priority. The $37.5 million will be spent quickly as it only meets a portion of the need in Minnesota and we were encouraged to come back again next session to request more funding to continue to do our great work.  We will heed this great advice and are already planning our work for the summer around educating candidates and voters alike about what the needs for housing in Minnesota are and how we all can be part of the solution.

ReStore is pleased to announce that Professional Performance Exterior Painthas arrived just in time for the outdoor painting season. This quality product, created especially for Habitat for Humanity, is the newest addition to the Professional Performance line that includes interior paint.

The exterior paint, which is available in white, is formulated for aluminum and vinyl siding, as well as wood, stucco, primed metal, cement block and most other surfaces.  It is suitable for brush, roller or spray application.

This spring, hundreds of women will come together in North Minneapolis to build a home and kick off another year of the Women Build Program. Women Build plans on constructing not one, but two homes this year and repairing another home through A Brush with Kindness.

Last year over 800 women of all skill levels volunteered with Women Build in one form or another, to complete projects that were led by female site supervisors.

A Brush with Kindness helps dozens of individuals and families struggling to overcome disabilities so they can continue to live in a safe, healthy home. ABWK assists these families with critical home improvement projects that include accessibility ramps, handrails and a variety of other home maintenance projects.

Carl and Lisa have lived in their home for six years with their two young children, Carly Anne and James. When they first saw the house, it seemed like just the right fit. They have worked to make some improvements, and it has been a slower process than they initially expected. They hope to live in their home for 25- plus years and, some day, pass it on to their children.

Wow, does time fly! It’s hard to believe that summer is almost here and that means that the busiest construction season at habitat is under way. While we build year-round, we run more construction sites per day in the summer than any other time of year. We also spend more on materials and subcontractors such as electricians, plumbers and drywall tapers now than any other time of the year. My job isn’t to spend all this money. My job is to raise it and to provide volunteers who help build the houses so we can minimize the use of subcontractors. That means we’re buys in the office now, too. It’s an exciting time.

Our fiscal year ends on June 30, so we are working hard to reach our fundraising and volunteer recruitment goals for Fiscal Year 12 and planning what we are going to accomplish in Fiscal Year 13, which starts July 1. Next year is the last year of our World of Hope campaign. Through a World of Hope, we have promised to work with 5,200 families and build, rehab and repair 730 homes in just four years. But we’re not stopping there. The urgent need for our work still remains high. Neighborhoods are still asking for our help as they rebuild form the foreclosure crisis and— in North Minneapolis —from the tornado. So in July  we are not only starting the last year of World of Hope, we are also starting the first year of our new strategic plan that commits us to serving 5,800 families in just three years!

On March 21, the Frogtown Neighborhood Association, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and Springboard for the Arts convened a small meeting in the basement of the Church of St. Agnes (the church with the big green spire that you can see looming over the neighborhood). About 15 residents and a dozen members of organizations working in the neighborhood were getting together to answer some questions. One of those questions was what to do with the vacant lots and vacant homes dotting the neighborhood.

Frogtown Focus is, as the name would indicate, a tightly focused look at a small part of the Frogtown neighborhood. This summer, we will work with the neighborhood association to look at the blocks between Dale and Western, University and Thomas. This four-by-four block area has been hit hard by foreclosures, and is being rattled by the disruption created by the light rail construction along University. Current residents are worried about what might happen to the vacant lots; some owned by the city, some by banks. Everyone agrees we want community control over development decisions — but what does the community want?