April/May 2016

In this issue:
Custom Habitat LA Ice Cream Sammies
City of Downey Groundbreaking Home Repair Program
Habitat LA in ArgentinaJoin our TeamUpcoming Events



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New Habitat LA Homebuyers


Several hardworking families shed tears of joy after learning that they were selected as partner homebuyers! Recent events offered the perfect opportunity to surprise them with this life-changing news in the company of Habitat LA staff, volunteers and supporters.

We'd like to introduce you to a few of our new partner families!

Maria Jefferson is a U.S. Navy Veteran who was surprised at our Interfaith Luncheon. She is a single mother of two teenagers. As a result of the economy and a competitive job market, Maria has only been able to afford a two-bedroom apartment in a very old complex that's falling into disrepair. She currently works full-time as a senior typist clerk and says that partnering with Habitat to build and purchase her first home is one of her greatest accomplishments. See the surprise HERE.

Ivania Duarte was surprised at our Volunteer Appreciation Event. She is a single mother of three who is an eligibility worker.

Derek and Lynsie Limon are newlyweds who were surprised at our Catholic Build. Derek works as a youth pastor.

Benito and Francis Ramos were surprised at a Montebello City Council meeting. Benito works as a payroll specialist and Francis stays at home to care for their two young sons.

With our help, Habitat LA homebuyers achieve the strength, stability and independence they need to build a better life for themselves and their families. We're currently accepting applications for homeownership opportunities in Downey and Bellflower. Click HERE for more information.
City of Downey Groundbreaking

The City of Downey, Partnership Housing and Habitat LA are partnering on a new community that will bring six affordable homeownership opportunities to the city. A groundbreaking celebrating this partnership was held on May 16th with Mayor Alex Saab, City Council members and many other project supporters.

"We are very proud and honored to be back in the City of Downey to serve more families," says Erin Rank, President and CEO of Habitat LA and Executive Director of Partnership Housing. "In the coming months, we will have many ways for local residents, businesses and community organizations to support this project by donating funds, volunteering, as well as promoting or applying for homeownership opportunities." Mayor Saab added, "Downey is proud to be part of a project that encourages homeownership for hardworking families and individuals, and we look forward to the construction and completion of these homes in our community."

Applications for these homes are being accepted through June 24th. Click HERE for more information.
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Habitat LA in Argentina

Yamila and Leo
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (Habitat LA) was proud to recently support the work of Habitat for Humanity Argentina through our tithe and by sending a group to help build a home in La Mantanza, Argentina during the last week of April.  

Our group of 16 was made up of board members, staff, major donors and longtime volunteers. In five days, we helped build a home for Leo, Yamila and their two young sons, Aaron (3 years old) and Bautista (1 year old).  The work included plastering the inside and outside of the house, pouring the floors, digging a nine foot hole for the septic system and lots of mixing concrete!  

We helped build what is known as a seed house or progressive house which consists of the minimum and most important parts of a house with respect to basic needs (kitchen, bathroom and one bedroom).  Seed houses are built in partnership with the family so they have a solution to their housing needs quickly.  Habitat teaches families the skills to manage the build process and progressively gives them loans to allow them to be able to add to the house in the future.  

It was truly an incredible trip and we have lots more to share. Click here for more information.  Also, if you are interested in building with Habitat for Humanity around the world please visit: www.habitat.org or you can contact Isabel Lee, Corporate Project Manager at Habitat LA for updates on our next trip! 
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We Love Our Volunteers
Volunteers of the Year from left to right Walt Burchard Dora Madrid and Raul Salinas.

More than 6,000 volunteers donated over 100,000 hours of service to help Habitat LA over the past year! We were thrilled to celebrate with some of these volunteers at our annual volunteer appreciation event on April 14 at the beautiful Hotel Maya in Long Beach. Each Habitat LA department selected a volunteer of the year who played a critical role in helping to advance our mission. 
 
The construction department's volunteer of the year was, Walt Burchard. Walt is a US Veteran and Habitat LA's longest serving volunteer. In fact, Walt has dedicated so many years of service that he was the crew leader on the first day Erin Rank, our President and CEO, volunteered with Habitat. Walt continues to volunteer at least twice a week helping to guide new volunteers. 
 
If you are interested in volunteering alongside incredible individuals like Walt, please contact Caitlin Rose, Habitat LA Volunteer Manager, at 424-246-3184 or [email protected].  Specifically, Habitat LA is currently looking for outgoing individuals with construction or special trade backgrounds to volunteer as crew leaders, especially if you are interested in helping us build four homes in Montebello. Our construction crew leaders and skilled volunteers have many opportunities to volunteer on our construction sites and need to be available a few times a month. 

Earth Day at the ReStore

Habitat LA's ReStore celebrated this year's Earth Day with a weekend of festivities that included a one-year anniversary celebration of our Torrance location with the Mayor and Chamber of Commerce, a store-wide sale and rainwater harvesting education.

Visions Paint Recycling is sold in 19 Habitat ReStores, including ours! It is a remanufactured paint product that is made with only one gallon of water versus the 13 gallons of water that are needed for virgin paint. Jerry Noel is the president and spent an afternoon with our customers educating them on the environmental benefits of recycled paint as well as the proper technique for cutting in on corners in order to get that perfect finish!

Justin DiPego also impressed the crowd with his You Can Make a Lamp Out of Anything workshop. He transformed a vase, trophy, and even a shovel into unique lighting fixtures using a simple kit. You can see how he did it HERE

The ReStores are always looking for crafty do-it-yourselfers to host in-store workshops. Please contact, Karen Moore, ReStore Acquisitions Manager, at [email protected] for more information!
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Join our Team

Habitat LA is looking for motivated individuals who want to join us in creating a world where everyone has a decent place to live. We have a few open positions in our offices, ReStores and construction sites, and encourage qualified and passionate individuals to apply HEREHERE.
Custom Habitat LA Ice-Cream Sammies

Help Habitat LA build a greater Los Angeles simply by enjoying one of Coolhaus' popular ice-cream sandwiches!

Coolhaus co-founders, Natasha Case and Freya Estreller, come from backgrounds in the design and real estate fields but now make architecturally inspired gourmet ice-cream. It is a natural fit that they decided to create a custom Habitat LA flavor. Now through the end of June, you can enjoy dirty mint chip ice-cream on confetti cookies with blue sprinkles and not feel guilty because a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Habitat LA. 
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Home Repair Program Helps Homeowners

Ms. Stevenson and her daughter
Habitat LA's home repair program helps low-income homeowners restore and maintain their homes. We are serving a growing population of seniors in our service area through this program. On a national level, as of July 2014, 46.2 million people are over the age of 65. By 2033, seniors over 65 will outnumber minors under 18.

Barbara Stevenson is one of these homeowners. She is a retired pre-school teacher who is living on a fixed income and describes her home as "spacious, private and filled with beautiful memories." For this reason, she would like to remain in her home as long as possible. Habitat LA is working alongside her and her family to make this possible by addressing health and safety concerns such as replacing fascia and old carpet as well as electrical and plumbing upgrades. An AARP sponsored 2014 Harvard study states that high housing costs have led seniors over 50 to spend 40% less on food and 70% less on both healthcare and retirement savings. Through our home repair program, we are working to alleviate these concerns for local seniors, like Ms. Stevenson, by promoting health, safety and independence. To learn more about our home repair program, click HERE.
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  Upcoming Events