Habitat's New Home Nears Completion

Despite the recent blast of cold weather, construction has completed on Habitat’s new home.  And what an amazing change there has been - both for the building and for Habitat!

What started out in a church basement in 1985 has grown into this - an organization that has provided thousands of residents of the Twin Cities Metro with a decent, affordable place to live, and brightened the future of their children now growing up in stable homes. As we’ve grown, we've come to find that our current office has become a hindrance in ensuring that we can make the maximum impact for the communities and families we serve. Quite simply, our old, rehabbed office lacks adequate space for family classes and volunteer training and is overcrowded, run down, and difficult to find. Without a new home, we would be unable to positively impact our families to our utmost potential. So, with optimism for the future, we our closing the chapter on our old home, which will be fit into the vision for the area to come, and celebrate the construction of our new home and the new neighbors it brings.

Now that the building is completed and the office readies to move in, we are energized about the benefits that the community will share with us at our new home. Our new location on the southeast corner of Prior Avenue and University Avenue in St. Paul (pictured above) will be located just steps away from the Central Corridor light-rail line and several bus lines, making it much easier for visitors to find. Parents will also enjoy that our new home will have a play area, complete with books and DVDs, for their kids, which will allow them to discretely talk in our new meeting rooms with modern A/V equipment. Contributing to the overall ambiance of the new building is a much more open and friendly floor plan that lets in natural light and commands a better view of the area that surrounds the new home. And while we can't even begin to tell you about all the amazing art pieces from the community going into our new home, check out one of them in the photo below. The building is also being constructed to LEED standards, which will save us an estimated $20,000 in utilities each year and demonstrate to local residents that Habitat cares about its environmental impact as well. In short, our new home reflects what we provide to each of our homeowners - efficiency, sustainability and affordability over the long-term.

All of these new features will be vital in helping Habitat build community. Like a child growing up in a Habitat house can expect the safety, security, and success in their life that a strong roof over their head brings; Habitat will also succeed in its new environment. Our new home is in the heart of the revitalized Midway Neighborhood, which has recently experienced a rejuvenation thanks to several far-sighted rebuilding efforts by the community. Our arrival to the neighborhood signals that the community and the families around us will continue to grow because they will have a stable, supportive environment that they need to thrive. Like that child growing up in a Habitat house and dreaming big for their future, Habitat can also expect its success to be handed down across generations.

We are thankful for all of the people who have helped Habitat on our journey to find, finance, and build our new home. With your continued support, we will be able to vastly improve our presence in the Twin Cities and help even more people in their struggle to find affordable housing. Look for upcoming welcoming and celebration events for our new home in the coming months. We hope you are as excited as we are about this beautiful new Home for Habitat!