Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia
2024 Impact Report
Connection and Community
Our work at Habitat for Humanity creates proximity – alongsideness – that leads folks from all walks of life to build relationships, break down assumptions and foster authentic connections.
These connections are how we build hope and community – how we open doors of opportunity, preserve generational assets, mobilize support for smarter policies and invest in the local economy.
In Fiscal Year 2024, Habitat Philadelphia worked alongside 920 Philadelphians to build connection and community. And we’re ready to build more.
With every new connection, our impact grows. Take a look at our 2024 Impact Report to see how Habitat’s work extends far beyond home construction and repair.
In Fiscal Year 2024 (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024), Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia:
- Partnered with 15 first-time homeowners, opening doors of opportunity and building connection and community in the Diamond Park and Strawberry Mansion neighborhoods.
- Completed 125 critical home repairs – the first checkpoint on our journey to double program capacity by 2026.
- Picked up 127,500 donated items to the ReStores, diverting dozens of tons of quality furniture, appliances and more from the landfill.
- Led a coalition of 10 PA Habitat affiliates to engage elected officials and advocate for affordable housing policies and funding during a Day of Action in Harrisburg.
- Hired three Carpentry Fellows and an Instructor for a year-long, hands-on program designed to build the necessary skills to work in construction full-time.
- Convened 800 affordable housing advocates to raise $724,000 at the 15th annual Building Hope Luncheon.
- Injected $4.7 million into the local economy by hiring contractors to work alongside our Build Team on construction and repair sites.
- Broke ground on Rosalynn’s Way – four new single-family homes in Mantua, West Philadelphia – named in honor of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
Your support makes home possible. On behalf of all in the Habitat Philadelphia family – our board and leadership, our staff, volunteers and partners – thank you for sharing our vision of a city where everyone can access a decent, affordable place to live.
In partnership,
Corinne O’Connell
Chief Executive Officer
Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia
build & repair
15
new homes built and sold to first-time buyers
125
critical home repairs completed in Philadelphia
270
individuals served through home construction and repair
coltrane commons
new home construction in strawberry mansion
Alongside countless volunteers and partners, the Habitat Philadelphia family welcomed nine first-time homeowners to the Coltrane Commons development in Strawberry Mansion this fiscal year.
Steps away from Fairmount Park in a historic neighborhood once home to jazz legend John Coltrane, the development includes a combination of three-story single-family homes with setbacks and porches and two-story single-family homes including one ADA-accessible unit.
The Habitat community celebrated each homeowner as they turned their keys and opened a new chapter of security and stability.
Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia Welcomes Home Five New Homeowners to Coltrane Commons
habitatphiladelphia.org
June 14, 2024
new neighbors on page street
sixteen children ready to learn and grow
On August 26, 2023, six families proudly took the keys to their new homes in the largest-ever simultaneous home dedication in Habitat Philadelphia’s history.
The Page Street project is the fourth in the Diamond Park neighborhood, which now totals 27 homes completed since 2016. The home dedication ceremony was set against the backdrop of a neighborhood block party celebration, with music, dancing and cold treats as the community showed up to welcome their new neighbors.
Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia celebrates its largest-ever simultaneous home dedication
CBS News Philadelphia
Saturday, August 26, 2023
a promise to future generations
eric’s family home, restored
Eric, a military veteran and lifelong resident of Strawberry Mansion in North Philadelphia, lives with his partner Kia and their son Eli in his childhood home, originally owned by his grandparents and later passed down to the couple through his mother. A 105-year-old rowhome, this house holds not only lifelong family memories but a promise for future generations.
Read Eric's Storyvolunteers are essential
commitment to service
At Habitat Philadelphia, we could not do our work without the support of our incredible volunteers. This fiscal year, we worked alongside hundreds of volunteers at our ReStores, warehouse and build sites, continuing the mission of building and repairing more affordable homes in our city.
Dozens of volunteers work to build affordable housing in Philadelphia
NBC10 Philadelphia
December 5, 2023
6,328
individual and group volunteer hours
33
Adirondack chair builds, ReStore and Warehouse volunteer events
27
new home construction volunteer events
the ReStore
supporting the circular economy
The ReStore is Habitat Philadelphia’s home store and donation center, offering unique, secondhand furniture and brand-new home essentials at a fraction of the retail price.
Since opening the doors of our second location at 3111 West Allegheny Avenue, we’ve hosted volunteer events with dedicated corporate partners, tabled with local organizations and so much more.
In addition to these events and opportunities for community partnership, our new space has allowed us to accept 127,500 donations of décor, furniture, electronics and building materials, keeping more quality pieces out of landfills than ever before.
New Habitat for Humanity ReStore in the Neighborhood
Chestnut Hill Local
May 30, 2024
shop. donate. volunteer.
127,500
donated items picked up by our ReStore teams this year
$1,842,197
in ReStore sales
30,153
total shoppers
advocacy
united in voice and purpose
On April 9, Habitat Philadelphia joined representatives from nine other Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Pennsylvania to visit the Capitol in an organized advocacy effort, urging legislators to support a series of bills and budget items that would impact hundreds of thousands of PA homeowners.
Habitat staff members, homeowners and home repair clients attended forty-four individual meetings with members of the PA House and Senate to discuss the Whole-Home Repairs (WHR) program, PA Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund (PHARE), Neighborhood Assistance Program Tax Credit (NAP) and Smart Land Use for Increasing Housing Affordability.
As a result of these efforts, the PHARE fund increased by $10 million and NAP fund increased by $36 million for the FY25 state budget.
As advocating for smarter housing policies becomes a more integral part of Habitat’s approach to combatting the affordable housing crisis in Pennsylvania, we join in the effort and raise our voices even louder to ensure more families have safe, warm and dry places to call home.
‘Affordable housing is not affordable’: Habitat for Humanity leaders lobby for more funding at State Capitol
FOX 43 Central Pennsylvania
April 9, 2024
building hope luncheon
The 2024 Building Hope Luncheon was a day to remember. More than 800 affordable housing advocates gathered at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown to celebrate 15 years of transforming lives, building homes and building community. We raised a record-breaking $724,446 for our first in-person luncheon since 2019 and were overwhelmed by the generous support of our community.
At the luncheon, Habitat family member Avery Martinez honored his mother Karen’s journey to homeownership and the lessons it taught him about perseverance and justice. This Building Hope Luncheon would not have been possible without the hundreds of supporters, advocates, partners and families we work alongside every day.
habitat day of giving
Our second annual Habitat Day of Giving shared how HOME WORKS for families in Philadelphia, providing stability, security, and a foundation for success.
With the help of the Habitat community, we raised more than $83,000 to support our programs and work alongside more Philadelphia families. We shared Tenaja’s story of homeownership and how hours of sweat equity, attending homebuyer education courses, and personal sacrifices all brought her to her dream of first-time homeownership at Diamond Park. With the support of the Habitat community, Tenaja is now safe, warm and dry and providing security for her family at home every day.
advancing black homeownership
Habitat Philadelphia continues to work alongside Habitat for Humanity International on its Advancing Black Homeownership (ABH) Initiative which is our commitment to closing the Black homeownership gap in the U.S.
In February 2024, Habitat published a video which captures Habitat affiliates across the country working to dismantle the systemic biases that have prevented generations of Black families from accessing homeownership.
Featured in the video, Habitat Philadelphia CEO Corinne O’Connell and Director of Homeowner Services, Rita Calicat, share how the work is relevant to our city of Philadelphia and how Habitat Philadelphia is closing the gap within our community.
investing in community
economic impact
Paid $4.7 million to Construction Contractors to work on Habitat build and repair projects, 35% of which were minority and women-owned business enterprises
workforce development
Launched the inaugural Carpentry Fellows program, hiring 3 staff members and an instructor to gain the skills and certifications needed to work in construction full-time
a global village
Habitat Philadelphia contributed $30,000 to support seven families through our partnership with Habitat Nicaragua
Our Vision
is a city where everyone has a decent place to live.
Our Mission
is to transform lives and our city by building and repairing homes in partnership with families in need and uniting all Philadelphians around the cause of affordable homeownership.
Our Core Values
guide our work and culture locally. We are builders. We work alongside, not for, others. We are driven by accountability and defined by our stick-to-it-tiveness.
our habitat family
Every connection builds community. Pass the hammer, attend an event, make a gift – each action makes a significant impact on our mission to transform lives. Together, home is possible. Thank you for your support.