Corinne O’Connell, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia, discussed their ‘audacious goal’ – a city where everyone has a decent place to live. We talked about the problems that continue to affect Philadelphia, an aging housing stock, an aging population and a high poverty rate and high percentage of tangled titles. Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia looks to put families into homes that are safe and affordable with ongoing support to keep families in their homes.

She described the process, future homeowners put 125 hours of sweat equity into their home, working on construction projects and working on building their financial literacy and homeowner preparation, learning and saving for repairs and maintenance. When they are done they buy their home with a zero percent 30-year mortgage, matched to their income.

We talked about the advantages of homeownership, from financial stability to health and the benefits to the community. Habitat also offers repair services to the homes surrounding the rehabbed property, bringing up everyone’s value.

Finally, we discussed their ReStores. New and slightly used furniture, décor and building materials from sinks and stoves, to doors, windows and paint are donated to the ReStore who sells it a fraction of the cost of new. Run by volunteers, the funds help support Habitat projects and keep the materials and furniture from the landfill. 

Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia runs on volunteers, office help, construction and financial advisors, and, if you can’t offer time, you can donate or shop a ReStore.

For more information go to HabitatPhiladelphia.org or, to find a Habitat for Humanity near you, habitat.org