Habitat Cabarrus County has
transitioned from an organization that is known for building new houses to one
that is now focused on overall neighborhood revitalization. The affiliate is
part of Habitat for Humanity’s nationwide Neighborhood Revitalization
Initiative (NRI), a multifaceted strategic response to the significant
affordable housing challenges faced by local communities. The affiliate
now offers an array of housing solutions for families in need — new
construction, renovation, rehabilitation, critical repair, transitional
housing, cosmetic improvements—through which the benefits of a volunteer labor
force and in-kind building material donations are leveraged to their full
extent. The NRI effort has been possible because of a three year
collaboration with the city of Kannapolis in the Carver community. New home
construction is still an important aspect of the work done by Habitat Cabarrus
but the focus is now on increasing the number of families served with
affordable housing solutions in Cabarrus County.
An urgent repair project- building a wheelchair ramp
In addition to the NRI
relationship with Kannapolis, other collaborative opportunities allowed Habitat
Cabarrus to serve 60 families through these housing solutions in fiscal year
2012-13 – a 1000% increase in just two years! These collaborations included
- A one-time weatherization program with UNC Charlotte whereby 31 Habitat Cabarrus
families received weatherization services at no cost to them.
- A relationship with the City of Concord in 2013, with the initial
focus on new build construction. The first new Habitat home was completed on
Broad Street in the Logan community in May with the hope that this will lead to
at least two new build homes a year in Logan. The longer term vision is that
this partnership will eventually include rehab and repair work, similar to what
is being done in Kannapolis.
- Habitat Metrolina Partners, a group of nine Habitat affiliates in the Charlotte region that has paid
dividends within the “Habitat family”. Habitat Cabarrus has benefited greatly
from being involved with this collaboration. This partnership has capitalized on
the strengths of each organization and used economies of scale to help improve
the efficiency and effectiveness of all involved.
Last but not least, Habitat
Cabarrus continues to focus on operating in a fiscally responsible way. The
affiliate has eliminated borrowing, reduced expenses, paid down debt and works
hard to be a good steward of the funds received from our generous supporters.
