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~KPRC Dedicates 2nd Home~

KPRC and their corporate partners came together earlier this year to build a home fitting of those dreams. Despite a few broken nails, and building in the cold and wet Houston winter, the build teams kept their spirits high and worked hard to finish the home. On Tuesday, April 7th Houston Habitat, KPRC and the KPRC Habitat Home corporate partners came together once again to celebrate the Barrera family and welcome them into their new home. It was a day of love, laughter and tears as volunteers and corporate partners took turns sharing stories of what inspires them to give back to the community and how the volunteer experience changed them for the better. Ms. Barrera said it best when she exclaimed, “I just want to thank everybody for helping me accomplish this goal … Thank you all and may the Lord bless you all!” Houston Habitat is grateful for the hard-work and passion that KPRC and KPRC Habitat Home corporate partners: Star Furniture, Shipley, Pappa’s Restaurants, Noble Energy and Coventry Homes put into helping us build a quality home that the Barrera family can love and grow in for many years to come. We look forward to building with them again soon!

Click here to see the “The Making of a Habitat Home' special on KPRC 2”

Houston Habitat Partner Family member Sandra Barrera dreamed of a home where she could take care of her two children and her elderly grandmother in a safe and healthy environment.

2nd Quarter April 2015

The Brick and Mortar

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~ Houston Habitat goes Global~

What most surprised you? Before leaving for Nicaragua, we all had this image of hygiene problems and poverty, painted in our minds. When we reached there, however, we found that despite the economic issues of the country, it was beautiful, clean, and the people were warm and loving. Even more so, after we met the family of the house, we were pleasantly surprised by, despite their problems, how they were also smiling. The country is surprisingly scenic, and has a rich, cultural heritage. How did you feel when you finished? We felt incredible. It was a very fulfilling experience, and we felt so happy because we couldn't believe that with us being there for five days, we could see a house almost completely ready. At the same time, however, we were all sad because after spending a week with the family, we got attached and we wanted to see them moving into their house, and properly getting settled, and we wished that we could do a little more. What were your thoughts on the way home? "When can we do this again?" We made a strong bond with everyone in the family and with the Habitat Nicaragua Staff and we would love to see them again next year. Next time we come to Nicaragua, the first thing we would like to do is visit the family and see how they're doing. For more information about Global Village Volunteer Program, go to: http://www.habitat.org/gv

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38-HFHVam0I&feature=youtu.be

The Village School of Houston participated in a Habitat for Humanity Global Village trip to Nicaragua, and we asked Aanchal Jaggi, The Village School Habitat Club’s President a few questions about the groups’ mission trip: What was your most memorable moment? In such an experience, it is difficult to choose one out of the many memorable moments, but one that will stay with me forever was when we dedicated the house to the family. Everyone who worked on the house and the whole family that was going to live in it, joined together to ask for God's blessing, while touching the walls of the house.

See the video of Village School’s Habitat Nicaragua trip

~NEW HOMEOWNERS!~

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Houston Habitat for Humanity presents keys to new homeowners! Many families come to us with hopes and dreams of owning a house they can call home. The process is not for the faint of heart! It takes a lot of hard work and homeownership training to earn a Habitat home. Houston Habitat is proud of the families that stuck it out and made it to the finish! We celebrate them every month, every week, every day!

Ms. San Miguel is a single mother of a 3 year old son, she had been leasing a property in the Fifth Ward Area of Houston for more than 5 years. Ms. San Miguel lived in a very unsafe home with heavy machine equipment in her front yard making it difficult for her child to play outside without getting hurt. She promised herself and her son that she would become a home owner to have a safe environment for her child. “I want to a safe place where my son can have the liberty of playing outside and I don’t have to worry about him getting hurt.”

Ms. San Miguel became a proud homeowner in March, 2015

Eric and Micheline Gasongo envisioned having a home to call their own, a home where their four children could have bedrooms to call their own. The Gasonogo family lived in a small two bedroom apartment before becoming a Houston Habitat Partner Family, and with three boys and a little girl on the way, the cramped apartment left little room for the growing family. “We want a house because we have children and we want to make it a home for them.” Through hard-work and dedication their dreams became a reality in April 2015 when Mr. and Mrs. Gasongo closed on their Habitat Home!

Tiphanie Wilson became a Houston Habitat Family Partner in the hopes of one day owning a home where she and her two children could feel secure. Ms. Wilson’s five year old son, Ken’dell suffers from a form of epilepsy that has left him unable to walk or talk and needed a safe environment where he could comfortably work with his physical therapist. “I have always dreamed of having a place I can call mine … a place where my kids and I can be comfortable.” Ms. Wilson and her children found that safe place in their Habitat Home in April 2015!

For more information about how you can become a Habitat Homeowner, go to: http://houstonhabitat.org/homeowners/

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~Celebrating Women!~

Help us continue the journey! Additional funds are needed to complete the Women Build house. We are almost there! Be a part of the movement to empower women to pursue the dream of home ownership! To donate click on button below and under the fund tab, click on “2015 Women Build”

Donate Today

Houston Habitat for Humanity’s 2015 Women Build kicked off on Thursday, April 9th with fun and cocktails at a coming together of the build teams and a unique fashion show highlighting active wear from Athleta, and outer wear from Whole Earth Provisions! This event was just the beginning of something special. This eclectic mix of women build teams from our sponsors: HEB, Lowes, Schlumberger, Vaco Resources, Women Working Wonders and Hoover Slovacek will come together to build a home for a deserving and hard-working single mother beginning in May.

Realtors Building Homes in Houston, TX Giveback Homes is a trusted network of real estate professionals dedicated to creating social change. Simply by choosing to work with a Giveback Homes real estate agent, you will help build a home for a family in Central America or right here in Houston, TX! Home for Home. The company has partnered with Habitat for Humanity both domestically and internationally, and has so far built 23 homes for families in Nicaragua, and coordinated several Build Days with Habitat Affiliates in Los Angeles and Dallas. We are thrilled to officially partner with Giveback Homes and welcome their members to start building and changing lives in Houston, TX!

~Realtors Building Homes in Houston, TX~

Members of Giveback Homes donate a portion of their commission to the cause, and 100% of their contributions go directly to the field through the Habitat for Humanity partner of their choice. “We can create social change, simply by making the everyday transaction of buying and selling a home through a Giveback Homes agent,” said Giveback Homes Founder, Blake Andrews, and we couldn't agree more! If you are in the market to buy or sell your home, please consider using a Giveback Homes Realtor. Click here for a complete list: http://givebackhomes.com/find-a-member Giveback Homes is currently looking for social good Realtors to join their movement! Click here to learn more: http://givebackhomes.com/join-giveback-homes

ATLANTA (March 30, 2015) – Habitat for Humanity has been named the “Brand of the Year” in the social services nonprofit category in the 2015 Harris Poll EquiTrend® study, an annual survey that measures the brand equity of an organization in the U.S. This year’s study marks the first time Habitat for Humanity has been recognized as a top ranked brand in its category. “We are deeply honored by this award and the public opinion that informs it. Each day, Habitat volunteers and sponsors worldwide partner alongside families in need of a safe and decent home to help them build a path out of poverty,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “We believe this award provides great validation that our vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live is shared broadly by both our supporters and the American public.” The announcement by the Harris Poll comes at a time of immense growth for the global nonprofit housing organization. During its 2014 fiscal year, Habitat for Humanity served more than 300,000 families — about 1.6 million people in more than 70 countries — through home construction, renovations and critical home repairs or increased access to improved shelter through products and services. Founded in 1976, Habitat’s global mission is made possible thanks to the hands and hearts of more than 2 million volunteers and the financial support of its many generous donors. Harris Poll’s EquiTrend® study is based on the Brand Equity Index, which is comprised of three key factors—familiarity, quality and consideration—that result in a rating for each brand. For this, the 27th annual study, more than 38,000 Americans assessed more than 1,400 brands across 148 categories. Visit harrisinteractive.com to read more about the Harris Poll EquiTrend® study.

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Habitat for Humanity named social services nonprofit brand of the year in Harris Poll EquiTrend® study

3750 N. McCarty St. Houston, TX 77029

Houston Habitat for Humanity, with thousands of sponsors and volunteers, has built over 950 homes for hard-working, low-income Houstonians. Habitat Partner Families contribute 300 hours of “sweat equity” and complete training on home ownership to purchase homes at cost with zero-interest mortgages. For more information about Houston Habitat for Humanity, and the Houston Habitat ReStore – a nonprofit home improvement store and donation center open to the public, go to www.houstonhabitat.org, or call 713-671-9993. Houston Habitat for Humanity is a tax-exempt 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.

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~Energy Star Awards~

Houston Habitat for Humanity is thrilled to announce that for the eighth year in a row, we have been awarded a prestigious Energy Star Award from The EPA for our commitment to protecting the environment through our green building and energy efficiency initiatives! Houston Habitat strives to leave a small carbon footprint while continuing to leave a large footprint in the growth and development of our community. We utilize numerous green energy building practices, such as Advanced Framing Techniques. This building technique cuts down the amount of lumber in the home and makes it easier to insulate. Our contractors and volunteers frame all of our wall sections in our warehouse. This allows us to reduce the amount of waste lumber. All of our construction waste, both in the warehouse and in the field, is recycled. These practices do not stop on the build site; we furnish our homes with high efficiency air conditioning units and energy efficient appliances. These cost-effective initiatives not only protect our environment for future generations, it also keep energy bills low for our Partner Families!