LOCAL HABITAT FOR HUMANITY’S ANNUAL INITIATIVE DRAWS WOMEN TO BUILD FOR FAMILIES IN SOUTH METRO ATLANTA 

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Since the beginning of May, women from around the South Metro Atlanta region have gathered to build for local families. Kicking off Southern Crescent Habitat’s annual Women Build, women from Habitat for Humanity International’s BEST group and Amy & Co Realty helped paint a new home and build a shed in downtown Hampton on May 11th. Just a few days later, members of Southern Crescent Women in Business and political figures traded in their power suits for power tools to build sheds at the future home sites for two new Habitat homes. On May 21st, Southern Crescent Habitat welcomed “Community Builder” sponsor Piedmont Fayette and other Fayette County women to continue building in their Hannah Springs community in Lovejoy. Celebrating Homeownership Month, “Community Builder” sponsors SCB Video TV Marketing and Piedmont Henry will host another group of women to help a single mother fulfill her dreams of homeownership on June 3rd.

Participants of Southern Crescent Habitat’s Women Build not only invested their time but financially contributed to addressing the vital issue of affordable housing and equity building. Statistics show that women, especially those who serve as head of their families and women of color, disproportionately face obstacles that make accessing decent, affordable housing seem impossible. 

Thanks to sponsors, ambassadors, donors, and countless volunteers, Southern Crescent Habitat’s 2022 Women Build raised over $30,000 to help families in Clayton, Henry, and Fayette counties. Michelle Amara of SCB Video TV Marketing, Clayton County Chamber of Commerce President Valencia Williamson, and Southern Crescent Women in Business Founder Ariel Shaw served as this year’s Women Build ambassadors.

Congrats Graduates 2022!

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Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity is building foundations to prepare families for the future through homeownership.

Southern Crescent Habitat’s Impact on our families


Growing up in a decent, affordable home can have a powerful effect on children. Studies draw a straight line between the quality, location, and affordability of housing and a child’s ability to thrive. Families who spend too much of their income on housing often must make critical trade-offs, including forgoing educational and enrichment opportunities for themselves and their children. Through our mission of bringing affordable, safe housing to families they are able to give their children these opportunities.

Not only are we celebrating homeownership month and the over 200 families that achieved their dream of homeownership through our program, but we celebrate our SCHFH graduates. Their educational achievements are a testament to the mission of Habitat and the hard work of our partner families. Congratulations to all of our ’22 graduates! This is only the beginning of your endeavors and we can’t wait to see what is in your future. The sky’s the limit!

Congrats to our 2022 Graduates! See them below

Kendrick Marshall: Mundy’s Mill High School ’22 | The University of West Georgia College | Culinary Arts

 Shakilya Dorsey : Mercer University ’22 | Bachelor’s in Education

Zachary Simms: Jonesboro High School ’22 | Georgia Military College

Khali Burney: Stockbridge High School ’22 | Technical School 

Ta’Nya Black : Lovejoy High School ’19 | Nursing School ’22

Indya Black : Lovejoy High School ’22 | Bethune-Cookmen University | Accounting

Shamiah Pittman : University of West Georgia ’22 | University of West Georgia for Masters | Digital & Social Media Communication

Not pictured:

Nekita Pullins graduated from Mercer with her Specialist (2nd masters) degree in education.

Shaneeka Grant’s House Blessing

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What’s a better way to kick off Homeownership Month than with a house blessing and dedication? This past Wednesday we were all in attendance for Shaneeka’s house blessing. She is also the 198th recipient of Warrick Dunn’s Homes for the Holidays! His charity along with other’s fully furnished her home. Every thing she could need was added so her family can start brand new and build new memories.

One step closer

Shaneeka Grant had a vision for her family but knew that she would need a little assistance in order to make it a reality. As a kid growing up in Atlanta, Shaneeka recalls living in various apartments around the city, so as an adult, homeownership was always a goal. Back in 2017, Shaneeka was one step closer to becoming a homeowner, but the high down payment and life events quickly crushed her dreams. “At this point, I thought I could never get a house,” says Grant. Since then, Shaneeka has been living in a two-bedroom townhouse with her children, mother, sister, nieces, and nephews – a total of 10 people. “My current living situation is a confined space that makes it tense at times, because of everyone and all of our belongings not being able to be separate,” she describes. Shaneeka knew that living in such overcrowded conditions was not conducive to the growth of her children and she wanted more.

Good things come in 3’s

There is an old saying that good things come in threes, so when Shaneeka heard about Southern Crescent Habitat’s Homeownership program on three different occasions, she took it as a sign. First, she learned about it through students at her job as an accountant for a Georgia university. Then her sister told her about Habitat. Then finally, she listened to stories from two families that went through the program. In 2019, the Grant family’s journey towards homeownership began. “Looking forward to taking the first steps” into her new home, Shaneeka and her family are also enjoying the process along the way. She believes that the homeownership program has the power to positively impact families in more ways than just housing. Her children now “understand how providing a selfless act by volunteering can create growth and humble you as well.” She’s even excited about building wealth with lessons learned through the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University and doing a little handy work around the house with tips she learned while doing sweat equity. Although Shaneeka’s original vision was blurred by circumstances, Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity helped her paint a clear image for her family’s future. “I imagine us having more happiness, my children being able to expand their creativity without isolation due to space, and our family personally growing individually,” exclaims Grant.

Older Americans Month Celebration

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During the month of May, we celebrate Older Americans Month. Throughout this month, we highlight older Americans that have been aging in place gracefully with Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity’s help. We also acknowledge the Gray Ghosts volunteers who give their time and knowledge to help our staff with builds and repairs.

Aging in Place

At Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity, they strive to keep older Americans in their homes. Installing bars in the bathroom shower and railings up the stairs are some of the ways they help to give older citizens help while they still keep their sense of independence. Throughout our time working to repair and help keep them in their homes, new floors have been added, wheelchair and mobility access has been added, doorways have been widened and bathrooms have received mobility updates. Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity has also built a community geared towards the older population in the counties it serves. Because of this, they can live in their homes with a better sense of self-reliance. Their homes have been built with their age in mind. They have a greater sense of community, they know their neighbors and they help each other if needed.

Gray Ghosts

Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity’s Gray Ghosts gives their time to volunteer and their knowledge to help our staff on home build sites and repairs for families. They are included in projects and have input. They do more than donate their time, they share their experience and knowledge with us. Each time a Gray Ghosts helps us, we know that the homeowner is getting the best.

Celebrating our Older Americans

Mr. Jones working with Home Depot to build the walls of his future home.

Over the past month, we’ve had the opportunity to speak with several of our older homeowners about celebrating Older Americans Month and Aging in Place. We recently did an interview with one of our homeowners named Mr. Jones. We spoke about future plans, what homeownership means to him and if he has any advice for those applying to our program in the future.

1. What made you apply to us? “A friend of mine created a flyer of the opportunity meeting for potential homeowners and insisted that I should attend.”

2. How was your experience working with us? “Working with Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity was wonderful.”

3. What does home ownership mean to you? “Homeownership means peace of mind, security, stability, joy and so much more.”

4. Do you have any recommendations for us? “I encourage you to continue God’s work pertaining to Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity’s mission.”

5. Do you have any future plans for your home? “I’m thinking about putting in some rose bushes.”

6. Do you have any advice for others wanting to apply to our program? “Apply immediately and believe. Have faith in God and trust in Him. God is Love, love God, love others. Amen. Thanks for your patience.”

We’ve hired some new faces!

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Throughout our time as a company, we’ve continued to steadily grow. Since the beginning of 2022, we’ve hired some new additions to Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity.

Tyese Kimble

Tyese joined the Southern Crescent Habitat team in January 2022. She brings a background of finance to the team. She has taken over the role of Finance and Administration. She helps in the day to day operations of the team.

Tracey Monk-Shadee’

Tracey joined the Southern Crescent Habitat team in April 2022. Tracey brings 15 years of combined experience in finance and banking operations. As a project manager, she has successfully managed projects across industries such as finance, healthcare, and customer care.

Tracey manages the Home Repair Program and Veteran Outreach. She provides education about the opportunities that are available through Habitat For Humanity and guides our partner families through the application process and family selection.

Elaina Gonzalez

Elaina is one of our new hires who joined in April 2022. She is our new Marketing Coordinator. She’s worked with various companies over the years concerning marketing and advertising. Her job entails helping the development team work to continually spread the message of Southern Crescent as well as get sponsors and recruitment for the families we serve.

Nicholas McClendon

Nick was hired in April 2022. He has a background in construction. He works closely with Jeni, Director of Construction. Since he was hired, he’s worked on numerous projects including home repair and home builds for our families. He enjoys seeing the faces of families when they’re able to see their homes finished.

Annett Thomas

Annett was hired at the ReStore in April 2022. Her job includes taking care of the register area and the front. She has been very attentive to every customer that has shopped there. Her friendly demeanor and sweet personality keep them coming back to shop more with us.

Manuel “Manny” Thomas

Manny was hired at our ReStore in April 2022. His job entails prep work. He helps unload the truck as well as put various items together. Manny also takes care of all the items located on the floor. He makes sure everything is looking well and clean. He and the other warehouse employees also help load up furniture and other things customers purchase. He helps keep the back loading dock clean so each week the truck can be unloaded.

Home is the Key

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Habitat for Humanity believes everyone deserves a place to call home. A safe, stable environment to place your head at night. A backyard to play in. A bedroom to relax and unwind. For many families, this isn’t anything but a dream. During the month of April, the Home is the Key initiative was at the forefront.

Fatoumata’s journey to #homeownership is so inspiring! Not only does she have a place to raise her four boys, but now a home where they can all flourish!

What is a Home?

A house is just somewhere to live, but a home is what families hope for. Habitat for Humanity looks to build a brighter future for families by providing safe shelter. There’s a strong importance of togetherness and the community we strive for. Every parent deserves to be able to provide for their children and not have to choose between paying bills or buying groceries. Habitat for Humanity tries to give hope for a better tomorrow by building, bringing people together, and helping to create opportunity through safe, affordable, decent houses.

Monique is very proud to be a homeowner. She’s looking to a brighter future!

The Key

During the family build process, one thing is clear. All they want are a place to call their own. Through Home is the Key, we see what families are fighting for. Whether it’s a financial burden, a medical emergency, or an unexpected challenge lots of things can get in the way of homeownership. Habitat for Humanity aims to take some weight off of their shoulders by opening up a world of equality, better health, and opportunity.

Sponsorship

Thank you to our 2022 sponsors for supporting our 2022 #keyisthehome campaign including At Home, Carrier, Rocket Mortgage, and U.S. Bank Foundation. We couldn’t do this without your tireless dedication and commitment. Thank you for helping us give our families a place to call home.

Learn more at habitat.org/homeisthekey/partners

Every day is Earth Day 2022

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At Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity, every day is earth day. We do our part for the environment through our donation program at the Restore in McDonough and participating in the Cars for Homes Program.

ReStore

Did you know that there are over 900 Habitat Restores that help divert tons of waste from local landfills every year? Each item that the ReStore sells keeps waste from going to the landfill. Each shopper helps contribute to this by buying items from our restore and donating used goods for a new purpose. Our goal is to bring in new items that will help change your house into a home. We also want items that can be recycled and reused to be repurposed for new projects. We’ve come a long way since Earth Day started 50 years ago back in 1970 and with your help, we’ll continue to keep waste from our landfills.

You can check out our ReStore page here: https://www.facebook.com/HabitatReStoreMcDonough/

Cars for Homes

You can help the environment and help build a decent, affordable home for a family today by participating in Cars for Homes. With the launch of Cars for Homes, vehicle donations have been able to raise over $30 million dollars across the U.S. Each vehicle that is recycled cuts down on waste and materials that would otherwise go into a landfill. Habitat for Humanity accepts cars, trucks, boats, RVs, motorcycles, and construction vehicles. Your donation also might be tax-deductible.

Habitat for Humanity serves nearly 1,400 communities across the U.S. and 70 countries and is growing every day. When you donate your vehicle, you’re helping a family build with us to ensure they can achieve affordable housing and a place to call home. With your help, a veteran has a new place to work in his garden. Kids have a stable living environment. Families can get repairs made to their homes that wouldn’t happen without your help. At Habitat for Humanity, everyone has the opportunity to help build and improve a family’s future.


Since launching the national vehicle donation program, Cars for Homes, in 2005, Habitat has accepted over 120,000 vehicles for reselling or recycling, raising funds for Habitat to partner with local families to build stability and security that a safe affordable home allows.

We make it fast and easy to donate a vehicle and you may qualify for a tax deduction. Your vehicle donations raised over $30 million in just the last five years!

See more of the article here>

https://www.habitat.org/support/donate-your-car via @Habitat_org



Habitat for Humanity International 2022 Affiliate Conference

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Our entire staff had the opportunity to attend the Habitat for Humanity International 2022 Affiliate Conference. Not only did we have a blast, we came back with a better understanding of how to serve those in need of safe, affordable housing.

Women Build Panel

During the Affiliate Conference, we had the opportunity to speak on our booming Women Build program and it’s impact on women in our community. Our CEO, Cynthia Jenkins, and Development Director, Tiffany Cadogan joined our friend from the Honolulu Habitat Affiliate on a panel about Women Build! Tiffany shared ideas on engagement and the experience, while Cynthia talked about our 100 Women Who L.E.A.D initiative.

Our COO, Liz Duncan, was also featured in a Housing Plus session discussing our thriving Home Repair program!

Malachi 3:10 Award

We were one of the few Habitat for Humanity affiliates to be presented with the Malachi 3:10 award at the international conference this year! This award is given to Habitat affiliates who have a lifetime tithe contribution of $500,000. This means so much to us because we get to see our tithes in action. Being able to help others build affordable, safe housing is why we do this. Our tithes have helped over 140 families internationally!

Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity, Habitat for Humanity International and 83 Habitat affiliates receive transformational $436M gift from MacKenzie Scott

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Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity homeowner, Toyea, stands on the build site of her future home

JONESBORO, GA (March 22, 2022) — Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity, along with Habitat for Humanity International, and 83 U.S. Habitat affiliate organizations recently received $436 million in unrestricted giving from American author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Of that, Southern Crescent Habitat received $1.25 million. This transformational donation will substantially help further Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has equitable access to a safe, decent and affordable place to call home.

“We are very grateful for this amazing gift from MacKenzie Scott and for our Lovejoy homeowner Toyea who is featured as the face of this partnership. We are proud to be 1 of 5 affiliates in Georgia to receive this gift after a thorough vetting process by their consultant. This gift acknowledges our effectiveness and the powerful collective efforts of our team, families, sponsors, volunteers, and community. We are currently focused on land acquisition and building. In the current market, there is a shortage of affordable housing and this gift will allow us to address the need in the South Metro Atlanta area,” expresses Southern Crescent Habitat CEO, Cynthia Jenkins.

Southern Crescent Habitat will continue to focus on land acquisition, building more homes per year, and expanding their services to meet the needs of the community. This gift is a building block for reaching their financial goals to impact the community for many years to come. Their efforts will create more equitable homeownership opportunities for individuals and families in Clayton, Henry, and Fayette counties. According to the Habitat “State of Home Affordability” study, there is a shortage of over 190,000 affordable and available homes in Georgia. In addition to Southern Crescent Habitat, four other Habitat affiliates across the state received substantial donations, including: Atlanta Habitat and Gwinnett-Walton Habitat.

Habitat International will use its $25 million portion of the donation to prioritize advocacy and programmatic efforts designed to dismantle systemic racism in housing. Specifically, the donation will allow Habitat to advocate for policy proposals and legislation that enable millions of people access affordable housing through its Cost of Home advocacy campaign; increase Black homeownership in the U.S. by targeting current systemic barriers through a new initiative that will launch this summer; and leverage innovative capital investments that service communities of color.

“Habitat works to break down barriers and bring people together — to tear down obstacles and build a world where everyone, no matter who we are or where we come from, has a decent place to live,” said Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford. “This incredible gift helps make that work possible.”

Southern Crescent Family receives a Christmas Surprise from Warrick Dunn Charities and Aaron’s

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When Shaneeka Grant pulled up to the home on Belair Lane, she had no idea what was in store. She was greeted by former Atlanta Falcon Warrick Dunn and a slew of cameras ready to capture the magical moment. Not only was she given $5,000 in down payment assistance, but she also received $10,000 worth of furnishing from Aaron’s. The Home Depot Foundation, The American Opportunity Foundation, Ryan Jumonville of United Networks of America, and Walmart InHome helped Warrick Dunn Charities turn the Grant family house into a home!

Photos Courtesy of Warrick Dunn Charities

Shaneeka Grant had a vision for her family but knew that she would need a little assistance in order to make it a reality. As a kid growing up in Atlanta, Shaneeka recalls living in various apartments around the city. As an adult, homeownership was always her goal. In 2017, Shaneeka was one step closer to homeownership, but the high down payment and life events quickly crushed her dreams. 

There is an old saying that good things come in threes. When Shaneeka heard about Southern Crescent Habitat’s Homeownership program on three different occasions, she took it as a sign. She learned about it through students at her job as an accountant for a Clayton State University. Then her sister told her about Habitat. Finally, she listened to stories from two families that went through the program. In 2019, the Grant family’s journey towards homeownership began.

And now, homeownership is a reality for the Grant family!