User:Kmm357/Habitat-NYC

Habitat for Humanity – New York City (Habitat-NYC) was founded in 1984 as an independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. Habitat-NYC works in all five boroughs of New York City, building quality homes for ownership by hardworking families and individuals in need.

Mission and Values
“Habitat for Humanity - New York City transforms lives and our city by building quality homes for families in need and by uniting all New Yorkers around the cause of affordable housing.”

“Habitat for Humanity-NYC believes in: The importance of faith; Diversity and inclusiveness; A respectful partnership between those who give and those who receive with mutual obligations; The volunteer spirit; Homeownership; Excellence in home construction and the volunteer experience; The City of New York. We express our love for our city through building homes and stating loudly and clearly that all New Yorkers should have a decent, affordable home.”

History
The first New York area Habitat for Humanity affiliate was founded on the Lower East Side in 1982. In 1984, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter volunteered there as part of the First Annual Jimmy Carter Work Project (JCWP). In 1985 the Carters returned for the Second Annual JCWP. The first Habitat building in New York City was a 19 unit building on East 6th Street completed in 1989. In 1995, four different New York City affiliates were united to form one affiliate – Habitat-NYC. Habitat for Humanity International’s 100,000th home worldwide was built in Harlem in 2000. In 2009, Habitat-NYC opened the largest multifamily complex ever built by a U.S. Habitat affiliate, a 41-condominium complex on Atlantic Avenue in Ocean Hill-Brownsville, Brooklyn. Built to high green standards, this complex earned a LEED Gold certification. A 2008 Economic Impact Report on the Atlantic Avenue Complex found that the project would generate about $34.5 million in economic activity over 40 years.

Building and Home Ownership
Habitat-NYC has adapted the model to work in New York City's complex urban building environment. They acquire land and buildings from the City of New York's Department of Housing Preservation and Development and other governmental agencies for a nominal fee. Professional architects design the buildings and professional contractors build the exterior shells to conform to the city's strict building code. Once the exterior is complete, volunteers and Habitat-NYC family partners build the interiors and complete the finish work.

The homes are built with the “sweat equity” of family partner homeowners, who work side-by-side with volunteers. Each year, thousands of New Yorkers from corporations, faith institutions, schools and civic groups come to build homes and learn more about how to help solve New York’s affordable housing crisis.

The homeowners also get free classes in financial literacy and building maintenance. They receive a 2%, 30-year fixed mortgage, contribute a cash down-payment of 1% (compared to the standard 20%), enjoy property-tax abatements and live in an energy-efficient home.

To qualify, potential homeowners must earn between 50% - 80% of the city’s area median income, have good credit (a FICO score of 620 or higher), be willing to contribute “sweat equity” to help build their home, and be a first-time homeowner.

Advocacy
Habitat-NYC is a leading advocate for affordable housing. Their goal is to ensure that every New Yorker has a decent, affordable home, by creating a social movement to end the housing crisis plaguing New York City and by calling on elected officials to make affordable housing a priority.

Additionally, their Loan Rangers campaign seeks to educate low-income New Yorkers about predatory lending practices and helps them to make wise financial decisions.

Green Homes
Habitat-NYC is a leader in New York City and the nation in building affordable green homes for low-income New York City families in need. They are committed to following the highest green building practices, which can reduce high energy costs for families by 30% or more and helps promote health and reduce respiratory conditions. Low-income children in New York City suffer from very high rates of asthma and other pollution-induced illnesses. In many of the neighborhoods where Habitat-NYC builds homes—the South Bronx, Central Harlem and Central Brooklyn—one in every three children has asthma.

Accolades
Habitat-NYC’s executive director, Josh Lockwood, was recently named one of Crain’s New York Business magazine’s “40 under 40 – New York’s Rising Stars”. It was also named one of six finalists for the 2010 New York Times Company Nonprofit Excellence Awards. Habitat-NYC’s Atlantic Avenue Complex was named a finalist in Affordable Housing Finance sixth annual Readers’ Choice Awards for the nation’s best developments of 2009-2010.