new volunteer orientation

Building Houses, Building

HOPE, Building

Philadelphia

Building Houses, Building Hope, Building Philadelphia

Our History…

… Across

The

City.

…Is

Being

Written…

1 in 4 households in Philadelphia have an annual income

below $20,000 and cannot afford to pay for the roof over

their heads without sacrificing other essentials.


one in four

Affordable Housing is defined as costing no more

that 30% of one’s income

That’s a 116-hour work

week for a single parent

earning minimum wage

(and paying $1,095 avg. rent)

Can’t work all 116 hours?

You might need to think

about going without:


Prescriptions for your kids?

A night’s healthy dinner?

New school supplies?

Fixing the broken washing

machine?

A visit from pest control?

Keeping up with your bills?


Partner Families Habitat builds with people, not for people.

Families are selected based on three requirements:

1. Ability to pay a zero-interest mortgage (for a family of four, that’s a yearly income of between

. $23,350 and $46,680)

2. Willingness to partner

(working 350 Sweat Equity hours on Habitat sites)

3. Need for housing

(the family’s current living situation)


The Habitat Solution

350 Sweat Equity hours = down payment

Zero-interest mortgage = $450 monthly payment

Quality housing & lower bills = more successful families

Homeownership = an achievable goal

What makes this work?

Volunteers

Critical Home Repair &

Weatherization Programs A few facts about the need for this specific program in Philadelphia

include:

• 80% of owner-occupied houses are over 40 years old;

• 12% of owner-occupied homes are structurally inadequate, compared

to 6% for peer cities;

• One out of eight homeowners cannot afford to make needed repairs to

their homes;

• Five years is the typical time it takes an occupied home with serious

problems such as cracks in the walls or holes in the roof to be

abandoned; and

• 22+ existing occupied homes can be repaired and weatherized for the

cost of building a single new row home.

Focused on preserving homes with existing homeowners

Far more Families Served!


www.habitatphiladelphia.org/volunteer

•Volunteer—on Construction Sites, with our Weatherization & Home Repair

Projects, or at our ReStore (http://www.habitatphiladelphia.org/restore)

(Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age!)

•Plan a Team Build Day for your organization

•Lend your time and expertise to a Committee

•Shop at or Donate to the ReStore

•Donate your vehicle: Cars for Homes (www.habitat.org/carsforhomes)

•Invest in our mission and change lives today!!

Many Ways to Help!

http://www.habitatphiladelphia.org/restore



http://www.habitat.org/carsforhomes


Volunteering Guidelines

Please keep the following things in mind as you begin volunteering:

1. Everyone works together at Habitat Philadelphia! Our sites are

educational environments in which all participants should be comfortable

regardless of skill or expertise

2. Volunteers should make sure they can meet the physical criteria of the

project they’re signed up for. If you have questions or are concerned

about the physical demands of a project, please let me know! It is your

responsibility to inform us of any physical or other limitations that might

be relevant to volunteering with us, or any accommodations you’d like us to

try to make for you

3. Volunteers should have the ability to fully understand and follow all

directions given by Habitat Philadelphia staff.

4. All volunteers work at the sole discretion of Habitat Philadelphia and

its employees.


What makes the

Ideal Volunteer?

PREPARATION •On your work day go directly to the site you have

selected.

•Come dressed in work clothes, closed-toed shoes,

and bring water and food. Dress for being

outdoors!

•Plan to work with us from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm (or

at the ReStore for a full or half day). *Safety talk

begins at 8:30!

•We provide all tools and safety gear! Label

personal tools if you want to bring them.


What makes the

Ideal Volunteer?

FLEXIBILITY

•Willingness to work on ANY task needed, even if it’s

not your favorite construction project

•An understanding that ALL aspects of building a

house are equally important and equally valued

•Openness to doing things Habitat’s way, even if you’ve

done a task before on your own

•Willingness to try (and learn) something new

What makes the

Ideal Volunteer?

COMMITMENT

•Serious commitment to working with us on all days you’ve

signed up for

•Willingness to work on assigned tasks carefully and

thoroughly. DON’T be afraid to make mistakes; DO ask

questions, be open to feedback, and correct mistakes!

•Volunteers regularly (ex: once a week, once a month)

•Contributes comprehensively: Time, Talent and Treasure!

www.habitatphiladelphia.org/ways-give

• Don’t see many spaces for volunteering?

– Check again in a week; New updates posted regularly

• To Learn more about Habitat or our opportunities:

Become a Facebook fan of Habitat Philadelphia

Sign up for bi-weekly volunteer updates and e- news

for more up-to-date information:

(http://www.habitatphiladelphia.org/enews)


Volunteer Shifts

http://www.habitatphiladelphia.org/enews

http://www.habitatphiladelphia.org/enews


If you MUST cancel…call/email the volunteer manager to

notify us of this change ASAP.

•TWO STRIKE No Show/No Call policy (cancelling beforehand

does not count as a strike!)

[email protected]

(215) 765 6000 x10

OR

[email protected]

(215) 739-9300 •Weather: in MOST cases we build regardless of weather.

Changes are according to the Philadelphia School District

schedule or notification from the site supervisor

•We will make every attempt to notify you of a project’s

cancellation or redeployment plans prior to your service day.

Scheduling/Cancellation

mailto:[email protected]


Thank You!

Check out our website: www.habitatphiladelphia.org

new volunteer orientation

Presentations & Public Speaking