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Reflecting on a Successful Women Build Event: Southern Crescent HFH Empowers Women and Builds Home for a Brighter Future

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Every May, people around the country prepare to pay homage to their mothers or mother figures in their life. This year, several women from the Metro Atlanta area joined Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity and this year’s Women Build title sponsor, Camille Rose Naturals, to help a single mother in their community achieve the dream of homeownership. Through the Women Build initiative, women nationwide devote at least one day to build decent and affordable housing in their local communities. Women-led crews along with our Women Build ambassadors worked on a new construction home in Riverdale, GA for five days straight, May 2nd – 6th.

Participants 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. The week-long build also provided a platform for women volunteers to flex their muscles and showcase their construction skills.


SCHFH was able to exceed the fundraising goal of $35,000 thanks to our sponsors and donations from various organizations, including 100 Ladies Who L.E.A.D, ExecuSource, HFHI BEST, iThink Financial, Southern Crescent Women In Business, and many others. Our sponsors were Jacobs, SCB Video TV Marketing and Camille Rose Naturals as our Title Sponsor. The event also saw the participation of female executives from these organizations who lent their support in various building activities.

CEO & Founder of Camille Rose, Janell Stephens
The Camille Rose Team

“When this opportunity came to us, I jumped at it! So thank you guys, I know you’re thanking me, but I’m thanking you, for allowing our brand to be a part of something that is just this huge blessing to you and your family.” said Janell Stephens, Founder & CEO of Camille Rose Naturals and Women Build 2023 Ambassador as she shared words with the future homeowner.

Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity is deeply grateful to all the volunteers, sponsors, and partners who helped make this year’s Women Build Week a great success. Special thanks to our other ambassadors Michelle Amara of SCB Video TV Marketing, Danielle Smith Clayton County Tax Commissioner & Owner of the D. Smith Agency, and DeBlair Tate Author & Wellness Coach. The organization remains committed to building more affordable homes for families in need, with a vision of creating a world where everyone has a decent place to call home.

PHOTOS

Day 1: SCBTV and friends

Day 2: HFHI Best, iThink Financial

Day 3: Execusource, Southern Crescent Women in Business

Day 4: Jacobs, Progress Residential

Day 5: Camille Rose and friends

Southern Crescent Welcomes New Partnerships

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Southern Crescent Habitat is excited to welcome new partnerships! Not only are these companies and organizations serving their communities, but they are supporting our mission! Without partners, Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity would not be able to celebrate 36 years of building homes, communities, and hope. In the last quarter, we’ve had the pleasure to welcome Georgia Power, Anning-Johnson, Collective Insights, Clayton State Alumni Association and More Perfect Union.

More Perfect Union

More Perfect Union joined us on the build site to continue working on our 214th and 215th homes. They joined us on the wall building and raising in our Hannah Springs location in Lovejoy. Our homeowner Shakilya even joined us for a little sweat equity..

Collective Insights

Our long time partners, Collective Insights, joined us back at our Hannah Springs site to continue working on lots 14 and 15. Our future homeowner Nilka was excited to see the walls go up and even read a few of the messages that our ReStore customers left during our last sign-the-stud event.

Georgia Power | 2022 Annual Partner | Beloved Community Build

Georgia Power joined us for a Beloved Community Build on Friday, July 8th. As an Annual Partner, they are committed to our mission and will join us for four builds throughout the year. Georgia Power built walls and worked in our Hannah Springs subdivision in Lovejoy on this day of service.

Anning-Johnson

Our friends at Anning-Johnson Company joined us on our build site to put up siding in our Hannah Springs neighborhood on September 15th and 16th. Siding going up means we’re getting closer to our families being able to move in!

Clayton State Alumni Association

The Clayton State Alumni Association joined us September 24th at our Hannah Springs location to kick off their Alumni Week! How cool was it that they were able to give back while painting the home of a fellow Laker!

Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity receives grant from Lowe’s!

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Lowe’s Partnership Renewal

Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity is excited to share that we were selected as a recipient of the Lowe’s Housing Plus Grant. This funding is a part of Lowe’s partnership renewal with Habitat for Humanity that includes a donation of $2.5 million to support 100 local Habitat organizations undertaking home repair and rehab projects across the U.S.

This year, 100 local Habitat affiliates will complete 628 projects, including 67 critical home repairs, 276 home preservations, and 285 housing plus projects to provide aging-in-place solutions that help make homes safe and accessible.

Helping families, fixing homes

Across our country access to quality, affordable home repair, and modification services are almost inaccessible to those with low to moderate incomes. With the support of this grant, we will be able to further help families in Clayton, Henry, and Fayette counties address critical health and safety issues in their homes.

Lowe’s and Habitat began their partnership in 2003. Since then, Lowe’s has supported many of the global housing nonprofit’s efforts, including the Women Build Program and Habitat’s Neighborhood Revitalization program. Lowe’s has also supported Habitat’s Cost of Home national advocacy campaign and sponsored local Habitat builds and employee volunteer days, in addition to providing affiliate grants and donated products. Lowe’s commitment through 2022 will bring the company’s total contributions to Habitat to more than $84 million.

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.”

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