Mission: Habitat for humanity of durham is a non-profit, housing ministry founded on christian ideals of love, respect, compassion and justice for all that builds, repairs and sells decent, affordable and sustainable homes in partnership with people in need. Durham habitat welcomes those of any faith - or no faith - to join us building homes, hope and community in durham.
Programs: Construction services: the construction program builds and sells affordable homes for low income families using volunteer labor. Services offered include new home construction, gut rehabs of homes in historical areas, and critical and urgent repairs which allow homeowners to avoid eviction and protect the investment in their home. Durham habitat helps revitalize inner city neighborhoods as we build, sell, and repair homes for low income buyers.
family services & mortgage financing: this program recruits, selects,and stewards eligible applicants for homeownership through the approval and application process to mortgage closing and beyond. The approval process includes attendance at homeowner education classes and performance of sweat equity volunteer work. Each home is sold at near appraised value and an interest-free, affordable mortgage is offered to each homeowner.
restore program: the restore sells donated and salvaged building materials to the general public at below-market prices with the net proceeds supporting the organization's mission to build affordable homes. In addition to making home maintence more affordable, the restore operations keep usable materials out of the landfill.
I have been volunteering with Durham Habitat for over a decade. The organization continues to be extremely involved in local community development. The staff work with community members -- rather than providing a top-down, "hand out" series of initiatives -- to maximize the effectiveness and long term impact of the organization's efforts. The staff members exude passion for the Durham community and for social justice within it. The pluralistic approaches to programming and fundraising are inclusive to a diverse array of volunteers and donors.
With regards to fundraising specifically, Durham Habitat staff make the overhead expenses transparent and openly answer questions about allocation of donor dollars. The development team does an excellent job of ensuring all donors -- regardless of giving level -- feel needed, important, and valued. The organization does not over-solicit and is quite conscious of eschewing donor fatigue.
While I have not lived in Durham County for over five years, I continue to invest my time and financial resources in this Habitat chapter because of the tremendous work the entire Durham Habitat community continues to do.
