Flower City Habitat for Humanity

Causes: Homeless & Housing, Housing Development, Construction & Management

Mission: Flower City Habitat for Humanity (FCHH) is dedicated to eliminating substandard and poverty housing in Rochester, NY.

Results: An affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, FCHH has built or renovated more than 200 homes since 1984, and is one of the largest Habitat affiliates in the northeastern US. Habitat provides "a hand up, not a handout." Homes are purchased through a zero-interest, 30-year mortgage held by Flower City Habitat for Humanity, and homeowners often find that their monthly mortgage payment is far less costly than when they rented. Selection of homeowners is based on a family's need for decent affordable shelter, household income that is 60 percent below the median for the Rochester area and a willingness to partner with FCHH by investing sweat equity and making mortgage payments reliably. Each family contributes 450 hours of sweat equity -- half goes into building their own home and half into building other Habitat houses. New homeowners complete a series of seven classes and typically become role models for other homeowners in the neighborhood.

Target demographics: Building homes and revitalizing neighborhoods in the city of Rochester, NY by giving a "hand up, not a handout"

Geographic areas served: Rochester, NY

Programs: Working with the city of Rochester, Flower City Habitat for Humanity (FCHH), an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, targets the city’s most desperate neighborhoods and selects vacant lots upon which to build one-story and one-and-a-half-story homes. These homes are built by several thousand volunteers annually, who are trained and supervised by professional construction supervisors. Financial support, material donations, and construction services are provided by individuals, corporations, and community groups.