GREATER FOX CITIES AREA HABITAT FOR

Neighborhood revitalization & home preservation programs: through our neighborhood revitalization work, we tailor our efforts by partnering locally with residents and community leaders and organizations to best address the real concerns of the community and improve the lives of the people who live there. We work alongside residents, community partners, faith partners and other service groups to revitalize community spaces, homes, schools and buildings needing improvement. Our home preservation program is an outreach initiative that seeks to provide a wide range of opportunities for low- to moderate-income homeowners, including veterans and seniors, who are struggling to maintain their homes because of age, disability or family circumstances. We partner with families to help them reclaim their homes with pride and dignity. The program allows families to stay in their home and avoid the uncertainty, trauma and expense of moving. Projects consist of interior and/or exterior repairs intended to alleviate critical health, life and safety issues or code violations. Volunteer teams work along with subcontractors under the direction of greater fox cities area habitat for humanity staff members to complete the repairs. In addition, we offer services to mitigate the health risks from lead ingestion to eligible homeowners. We focused on 2 communities in our neighborhood revitalization program and served 111 families through our home preservation programs in fiscal year 2024.

Financial and homebuyer education programs: as part of the homeownership process, we believe education builds a more solid foundation for long-term personal success and helps alleviate any concerns or barriers on the path to homeonwership. During these education classes, we cover topics such as budgeting, credit cards and credit reports, debt and loans, saving, investing and planning for the future, emergency situations, mortgages, health and home safety, home maintenance and being a good neighbor. A more in-depth understanding of these important concepts is a tool that can be used to build a better future. In addition, each family in the program is offered a volunteer budget coach. In fiscal year 2024, 32 financial and homebuyer classes were held and over 60 hours of budget coaching were provided for families in the program. Almost home program: almost home provides wrap around case management services to those actively working toward home ownership and partner families at risk of delinquency. Services of the program include assistance finding or improving employment, improving credit rating, budgeting and resolving family or health issues. Additional services include homes that can be rented up to 24 months by families who are part of the almost home program. The rentals provide a bridge to home ownership and provides an avenue for families that are either in an unsafe or unaffordable housing situation. Almost home has been a major factor in reducing habitat homeowners' delinquency rates to well below the national average. In fiscal year 2024, 31 families were served through the almost home program.