2013 - Habitat for Humanity of Washington, DC

Annual Report 2013
Table of Contents
03 / About Us
04 / Who We Are
05 / Letter from The Board Chair
06 / Homeowner Profile
08 / Homes for Vets Campaign
10 / Global Engagement
12 / Partner spotlight
13 / Fiscal Overview
14 / Our sponsors
97%
of our homeowners say
they are better off.
ABOUT US
There’s no place like home. Well, for some of us.
But for others, home is not such a nice place. For some, it’s a building in major disrepair, a space
that’s horribly overcrowded or even worse, a place that doesn’t exist at all.
You’ll find them not just in third world countries, but here, in the shadow of D.C.’s mighty
monuments, on the streets of our nation’s capital. They are our neighbors. And just as our museums
and memorials belong to the D.C. community, so do the sub-standard homes of our city’s less
fortunate.
At Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C., we believe that all our neighbors deserve safe, decent
homes they can afford – and there’s no better way to build our communities than to lend a hand.
Because when we all donate what we can – whether it’s time, talent or money – we can build more
homes for those in need.
When volunteers, businesses, faith-based organizations and other groups come together and work
as one, we can build faster, greener, more efficiently. And eventually all our neighbors can live in
houses they truly want to call home.
02
03
Letter from The Board Chair
WHO WE ARE
STAFF
Susanne Slater
President & CEO
Susan Moser
Chair of the Board
Rick Bowers
Chief of Operations
John Didiuk
Vice Chair of the Board
Jeff Brallier
Project Manager
Leila Finucane
Secretary of the Board
Paula Katrina Drago
Volunteer Services &
Coporate Partnerships Manager
Yasamin Al-Askari
Treasurer of the Board
Agnes Hanna
Mortgage & Accounting Associate
Brian Monks
Member of the Board
Breanna Henderson
Staff Accountant
Debra Erb
Member of the Board
Daniel Hines
Construction Supervisor
Jean Gilbert
Member of the Board
Luke Hupp
Assistant Construction Supervisor
Corrine McIntosh-Douglas
Member of the Board
Mandy Jansen
Office Administrator
Margaret Meiers
Member of the Board
Peter Kiburi
Director of Finance & Mortgage Servicing
Charles Schilke
Member of the Board
Ashley Lemley
Marketing & Development Associate
Marti Tirinnanzi
Member of the Board
Andrew Modley
Production Manager
Mike Peterson
Assistant Construction Supervisor
Heather Phibbs
Director of Marketing & Development
Orlando Velez
Manager of Housing Services
04
Board Members
Dear Friends,
2013 has been a year of implementing long developed plans, pursuing exciting new
opportunities and witnessing the dream of homeownership come true for a record
number of partner families. For the first time in our 25-year history, we now have 18
homes in various stages of construction and rehabilitation, more than doubling our
prior production levels.
We are, once again, thankful for the many partnerships that make our work possible.
One partnership in particular has borne fruit in a wide variety of ways. Working with the
District’s Department of Housing and Community Development, under the leadership
of Director Michael Kelly, we have been able to not only break ground on the final 11
homes in the third phase of our Ivy City development; but with his help we are now hard
at work on a new development in the Ward 7 neighborhood of Randle Highlands, where
we will be building homes for veterans in the coming years.
Veteran initiatives were a high priority for us this year. In June, we joined Habitat
International in a successful and highly visible “Veterans Build on the Mall.” As part of
the four- day build, we hosted a well attended reception at the Capitol Visitors Center.
Co-hosts James Schenck of the Pentagon Federal Credit Union and our own President
and CEO Susanne Slater welcomed Senators and Members of Congress, senior military
officials, , key District leaders and of course, our many donors. In addition, we held a
moving dedication of a home to a formerly homeless veteran, Ken Harris, who stirred us
with his vision and commitment to the ideals that motivate us all.
We are grateful for the enthusiasm that our two new Board members and our newly
formed Advisory Committee have brought to our organization. As the chair of the
inaugural meeting, former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros inspired the 17-member
advisory committee to assist our Board and staff in ramping up our fundraising efforts in
new and creative ways. And funds will indeed be needed to pursue our ambitious plans
for the coming year. Building on our experience with small scale condominiums, we are
purchasing land that enables us to venture into a promising urban model of
multifamily condominiums, a form of homeownership that allows us to serve a greater
variety and number of families in need.
I want to thank our talented staff and Board, our donors, our volunteers and
especially the dedicated AmeriCorps and Vista volunteers who provide invaluable
energy and contribute so much to the vitality of DC Habitat. Thank you all for a
productive year!
In Partnership,
Susan Moser
Chair, Board of Directors
05
‘‘Keep Moving Forward,
step by step,
unitl you reach that goal.
That’s what I did. Now,
I Have my own home.’’
A home dedication ceremony was held for Ken Harris on Veterans Day 2012, where he was joined by DC
Habitat staff, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and executives from corporate sponsor MarriottFairfield Inns. In January of 2013, Mr. Harris moved into the rehabilitated home on Providence Street in the Ivy
City community.
Homeowner Profile
Veteran Ken Harris Becomes a Homeowner in Ivy City
“I was selfish when I was young,” he admits, but working on other people’s houses through Habitat’s sweat
equity program has changed his perspective. “When you’re out there, sweating, tearing up concrete in the
heat, for no pay, it gets you thinking,” he says. Mr. Harris hopes to continue volunteering even after becoming a
homeowner. He says he hands fliers out to people because often they don’t know about the opportunities that
are out there. When asked about his hopes for homeownership, he mentions cooking, moon walking to Billie
Jean, and inviting his family over for a change. Most of all though, he says, “I’m just going to lock the door, sit,
and relax.”
Leaving his parents’ house at age 17, Ken Harris had no idea that it would take nearly thirty years before he
would regain a stable roof over his head. Harris had made a commitment to his country by joining the army. He
thought that when he returned, he might go to air traffic control school. However, like many vets, he
became a member of the homeless community. To get by, he relied on family members, sleeping on their
couches and accepting their hospitality. Other times, he had to sleep in his car. “I once spent a whole summer
out by I-95 sleeping at a rest stop,” he recalls.
It was Father’s Day 2008 that he decided it was time to change his life. Listening to a speech by Barack Obama,
he decided he was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” The speech must have resonated with his fatherly
responsibilities and shortcomings, because within four years he turned his life around. With the same dedication
and hard work that he demonstrated as a young man, Mr. Harris researched ways to pay off his debt, improve
his credit score, and gain financial stability. He also secured a place in a local transitional housing program for
homeless veterans, Q-Life. When he came across a Habitat for Humanity flier, he was prepared.
He contacted Habitat’s Washington, DC office and began taking the steps to become a homeowner.
06
REHAB : BEFORE
REHAB : AFTER
07
DC Habitat Launches
Homes for Vets
Campaign at build
on the Mall event
The event on the Mall served as the launch of
DC Habitat’s own “Homes for Vets” campaign,
supported locally by the DC Department
of Housing and Community Development
(DHCD), the Chertoff Group, Freddie Mac,
Pentagon Federal Credit Union and Wells
Fargo. Following the event, three of the seven
frames were moved to a permanent site in
the Deanwood community of Northeast DC,
where they are being fully constructed as
homes for local veterans in need.
The sun shone the morning of June 2nd, 2013,
on a wooden foundation lying at the foot of
the Washington Monument. This foundation
would soon become the “hero house,” the first
of seven house frames built on the National
Mall during a week-long AmeriCorps build-athon called Veterans Build on the Mall. The
seven frames built would symbolize each
branch of the U.S. military, the Coast Guard,
and National Service.
During the week of Veterans Build on the Mall,
DC Habitat hosted a Homes for Vets
Campaign Kickoff Reception at the U.S.
Capitol Visitor Center Atrium. More than 125
attendees took part in a cocktail reception
followed by a speaking program.
Congressional leaders, corporate sponsors,
Washington, DC City officials, and military
officers praised Habitat’s work and spoke in
support of our campaign to provide
affordable housing for veterans in our nation’s
capital.
Of the five AmeriCorps build-a-thons held
across the nation, this one was special in that
it was held to raise awareness of important
opportunities offered through Habitat for
Humanity International’s Veterans Build and
Repair Corps programs. The programs aim to
support and honor existing and retired
military members and their families by
offering affordable housing options, critical
repair solutions and opportunities for
volunteering, leadership and employment.
Throughout that first week of June,
AmeriCorps members, veterans and
employees from sponsor companies Home
Depot, Bank of America and MASCO worked to
raise the walls of the seven symbolic homes.
“The commitment to veterans and their
families is two-fold: we serve them, and we
ask them to serve with us,” said Wendy
Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for
National and Community Service (CNCS),
during the opening ceremony. “Each year,
CNCS programs reach more than 1.5 million
veterans and military family members, and
more than 27,000 veterans put their unique
skills to work on a new mission on the
homefront.”
08
As U.S. military forces continue to return
home to DC from overseas deployments and
make the transition back to civilian life, we are
offering affordable housing and volunteer
opportunities to veterans and their families.
The Homes for Vets campaign will be a
multi-year effort, and DC Habitat has acquired
land from DHCD for a second veterans’
housing construction site.
6
homes were
framed
during
the Build
on the Mall
event held
in June.
09
in 2013, we donated funds to support habitat’s
program in nicaragua, where:
A new home can be
built for as little
as
$6,000.
Water & sanitation solutions are
provided for as little as
per household.
$1,200
are being empowered
Hundreds ofto women
become income earners through
business finance education &
kitchen improvements.
Global Engagement
At DC Habitat, we believe that “humanity” extends
further than one’s backyard. In our efforts to make an
impact not just locally, but also globally, we tithe, or
contribute, approximately 10 percent of the funds
we raise to Habitat affiliates abroad. This means that
every time you make a donation to DC Habitat, you're
not only helping us to build affordable homes in the
nation’s capital, but also in low-income communities
around the world. In the past 25 years, DC Habitat has
given over $330,000 to 17 countries in need, including
El Salvador, India, Kenya, Mexico, Uganda, and
Zimbabwe. This translates into homes for more than
100 families.
Hen.’ The community’s name originates from
chicken-like pre-Columbian etchings found on the
walls of a nearby cave. La Gallina, along with the
majority of the country of Nicaragua, is facing extreme
poverty. More than 95 percent of the homes in La
Gallina have dirt floors and are poorly constructed;
drinking water and plumbing are largely inadequate
to meet the residents’ needs. With a per capita income
of about $1 per day, many families cannot overcome
these challenges on their own. Habitat for Humanity
is working to change these conditions and provide the
families in Nicaragua with a better quality of life.
Habitat for Humanity Nicaragua has made great
strides in providing housing, water, and sanitation
solutions in impoverished communities -- including
many informal settlements. They have implemente
new water systems, provided an ecological
plumbing system, and built homes for those in need.
Their goal is to provide 2,500 housing solutions and
3,000 support systems by 2015. This includes financial
education, training in Nicaraguan housing law, home
improvements, risk management, and community
One of the Nicaraguan communities supported by DC development. With contributions from partners like
DC Habitat, this goal will become a reality.
Habitat contributions is that of La Gallina, or ‘The
DC Habitat is currently working to focus its
international support in the neighboring Central
American region. In response to the devastating
earthquake in Haiti, we contributed funds to Habitat’s
program in that country from 2011 to 2012, and we
are supporting Habitat Nicaragua in 2013 and 2014.
In addition to our financial contributions, several of
our employees and Board members have travelled to
Nicaragua to help build during the past year.
10
Families earning
less than
$ $1
per day can make major
home improvements through
the help of micro-credits.
3,000
A total of nearly
people were served
in 2013 through housing improvements, water
& sanitation solutions & technical assistance.
Board member
Debbie Erb on a
2013 Global
Village trip in
Nicaragua.
10 11
Photo by Simone D. McCourtie / World Bank
Fiscal Overview
Revenue
$1,825,151
Sale of Homes
Partner Spotlight: The World Bank Group
The mission of the World Bank Group is two-fold: to end extreme poverty within a generation
and to boost shared prosperity. One way that the World Bank Group is accomplishing their
goals is through their partnership with DC Habitat. Over the past five years, the World Bank
has contributed nearly $250,000 to our organization, making them one of our leading
corporate partners. In addition, more than 100 World Bank employees have volunteered their
time on our build sites.
The World Bank’s progressive, results-oriented approach to poverty solutions is well aligned
with DC Habitat’s housing philosophy. Lindsey Buss, Senior Officer of Community Outreach
at the World Bank, believes in the importance of focusing on poverty alleviation around the
world, while not forgetting about the problems in one’s own community. “World Bank Group
staff come from all over the globe to work on the mission of ending poverty and boosting
shared prosperity worldwide. At our Headquarters in Washington, DC, we focus intently on
poverty that is thousands of miles away. But poverty exists everywhere. When we donate
to Habitat through our workplace giving campaign, and especially when we participate in a
Habitat build, we're able to express in our own community the values we work for on a daily
basis,” Buss explains.
The World Bank works closely with several Habitat affiliates, and backed several Habitat
programs abroad, such as a land security deal in Cambodia and a Development Marketplace
Grant in Kyrgyzstan. “The World Bank Group is proud to support the staff and Habitat with its
own contributions as well,” says Buss. “Habitat has been a great partner for the World Bank
Group and our staff as we live our value of fighting poverty every day, both here and abroad."
$843,707
21%
Contributions
$41,173
Other Income
48%
$870,004
1%
Grant Support
23%
$256,199
7%
In Kind Goods
and Services
Expenses
8%
7%
$347,912
Fundraising
$344,401
Managment
& General
$3,882,950
85%
12
Construction
& Programs
13
to our thousands of individual contributors and following corporate level sponors:
Government & Community Partners
$15,000
DC Department of Housing & Community Development
Institute for Community Economics
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
US Department of Housing and Urban Development
Delman Mortenson Charitable Foundation
Eaton Charitable Fund
National Presbyterian Church
Softwood Lumber
Full House Partner $100,000
$10,000
National Geographic Society
PriceWaterHouseCoopers
Run Washington / Pacers
Parsons The New School of Design
Gerald Salzman
Gold Hammer Partner $75,000
United Way of the National Capital Area
Rotary Club of Washington, DC
Silver Hammer Partner $50,000
Buildable Hours, Inc.
Dorothy Downing Estate
Fannie Mae
The J. Willard & Alice S. Marriott Foundation
Bronze Hammer Partners $25,000
Dennis M. Berry
Bloomberg
Habitat for Humanity International
Wells Fargo
World Bank Community Connections Fund
$20,000
Citibank FSB
Ken Valach
14
$5,000
Agua Fund, Inc.
Cachendo LLC
Cal State San Marcos
Cherthoff Group
Community Foundation for the National
Capital Region
Freddie Mac Corporation
Gallup
General Motors Foundation
Grosvenor USA Limited
Harris Foundation
Michael & Heather Kuta
Pentagon Federal Credit Union
SAIC
Symantec Corporation
Teknion LLC
Bradley Vogt
$1,000
$1,000 (continued)
Agriculture Federal Credit Union
American Psychological Association
The Arnold & Jeanne Berstein Fund
Jennifer Baker
Bike & Build
Deborah Britt
Stephen Bruce
Scott Burroughs
James Byrd
The Carlyle Group
Clark Construction Group, LLC
Coakley & Williams
D.C. Trial Lawyers Foundation
Todd Dorrien
Douglas Development Corporation
Duncan, Weinberg, Genzer & Pembroke, P.C.
Julian Eisenstein
Peter Frias
Judith French
John G. & Jean R. Gosnell Foundation
Nancy Gould
Habitat for Humanity National Capital RSO
The Mark & Annie Hansen Foundation
Annos Hermanns
Louis J. & Ruth G. Herr Foundation
Thomas Horst
Michael Kenefick
Mari-Anne Pisarri
Michele Ploeg
PNC Bank
Patrick Raher
Reid Temple AME Church
Julia Rosica
RSO
James Schoettler
James Scott
Bradford Seibert
Steven Sher
Ann Sigvaldsen
Kris Smathers
Snediker Family Charitable Fund
Thomas Steinmetz
Sterne Kessler Goldstein Fox
Student Government Association School of
Advanced International Studies
Cheryl Sweigard
United Way of Central Maryland
United Way of Greater Atlanta
University of Maryland MBA Assocation
The Vinyl Institute
Robert Weinberg
Marjorie Wellman
Michael Lestingi
Ronald Linney
Catherine MacNeil Hollinger
Ellen Martin
The Marvelwood School
Walter McClenon Fund
Janice McHenry
Brian Monks
Anita Morrison
Susan Moser
Dana Mulhauser
National Association of Residential
Property Managers
Arnold & Porter LLP
Bruegger’s Bagels
Fin Pan
Florida Tile
Hunter Douglas
Kohler Co.
LaFarge
Laticrete
Schnieder D
The Dow Chemical Co.
US Airways
Valspar Coporation
Whirlpool Corporation
In-Kind Goods & Services
$100,000
was donated by
invididuals during the
2012 holiday giving
season, our most
successful to date.
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CFC #71579
United Way #8224
2115 Ward Court NW Suite 100
Washington, D.C. 20037
(202) 882-4600
www.dchabitat.org