Dedicated to the mission

The team at Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia has grown immensely over 40 years. What started with volunteers at a grassroots level is now an organization of nearly 80 skilled staff members who build and repair homes, advocate for affordable housing and work closely alongside families in our community. When we look back at the ways we’ve grown over the years, we know we could not have done it without the dedicated staff members who poured years of hard work, passion, and resilience into the mission. We interviewed some of our longest-tenured team members to hear about their Habitat journey and why they continue to live out the mission. 

Angie Correa-Collazo: ReStore Manager, 12 years

Deidra Duncan: Director of Development, 11 years 

Vicki Rosenzweig: Build Senior Operations Manager, 15 years 

Habitat: What do you do in your role and how has it changed over the years? 

Angie: In my day-to-day, I am responsible for ensuring that the sales floor is fully stocked so that when customers come in, they’re able to have a great shopping experience. In those 12 years, I haven’t always been the store manager. I’ve been a cashier, donations coordinator, warehouse manager, and assisted a bit with our social media.  

Angie Correa-Collazo (center) at Washington ReStore Grand Opening, 2015 | photo by Ellie Seif

Deidra: As Director of Development, I work with those who make generous contributions to support Habitat’s mission and programs. Supporters include individual donors, corporate, faith and foundation partners as well as volunteers.  

In my first years at HFHP, I worked more exclusively with individual and team volunteers. As the organization’s work expanded, I helped to build a larger network of corporate and community supporters. In recent years, I’ve worked closely with the entire Resource Development team on everything from grants and volunteer engagement to event planning and in-kind donations. 

Vicki: I started in 2009 as an AmeriCorps Construction Assistant working on-site building new homes and rehabs. When the home repair program was created, I came on as an assistant, transitioned to a coordinator, and ultimately operations manager for repair, and then eventually both repair and new construction when we merged our operations across the Build team.  Now, I work to streamline our systems and processes and implement technologies to allow us to continue to scale our Build programs efficiently. 

Habitat: What is one key memory for you? 

Angie: One of my memories with Habitat would be from when I first started. I joined the team in celebrating a home dedication for the very first time. It was a beautiful experience seeing the families receive the keys in their hands and how happy they were. At the end of the day, it reminds me of the work we do and how it all comes back full circle.  

Deidra Duncan (left) at Queen Lane volunteer build day, 2014 | photo by Ellie Seif

Deidra: I love it when I’m talking to people and they tell me “I didn’t know Habitat did that!”. Often folks know about Habitat Philadelphia’s core program, affordable homeownership, but there are so many other ways the organization is working to advocate for and advance housing solutions in our city. 

Vicki: One memory that really stuck with me happened during my time as an AmeriCorps member, working on a new construction site. A homeowner from next door came over to us, asking if we could help fix their basement stairs so the electric company could fix their electric panel in the basement and get their power back on.  At that time, we didn’t have a repair program and had to tell them we couldn’t help, even though we had the skills to.  I knew at that moment that we weren’t fully addressing the need for affordable housing in our city without offering affordable home repair to existing homeowners.  When our former Build Director Emily Lucas started the repair program the following year, she was looking to hire someone to help get the program off the ground and I was hooked. 

Habitat: Why Habitat?  

Angie: I would say, my purpose in life has always been to help people in need, no matter the situation. So, I am here where I should be, with my Habitat family, serving our communities and families within our community. 

Deidra: Because I really believe in the vision that everyone deserves a decent and affordable place to live. 

Vicki: When Habitat partners with homeowners on repairing their homes — homes that have often been in families for generations — I’ve seen the impact that it has on their lives. The weight that is lifted from not having to empty buckets on the second floor every time it rains, or living without heat or hot water, and having no other alternative – it’s real. Habitat is a game changer, and often a last resort for many of the families who reach out to us for help.  For Habitat to continue to say ‘yes’ to as many families as we can, to make the necessary critical repairs and leave folks with a house that they can safely live in for years to come, where they can build generational wealth and a place of respite for their families.  That is why I do what I do here at Habitat Philly.

Vicki Rosenzweig (bottom left) with Bank of America volunteers at West Sparks Street build day, 2011 | photo by Habitat Philadelphia

As we celebrate 40 years of building and repairing homes in Philadelphia, we are grateful for the many people who have carried this mission forward. Angie, Deidra, and Vicki remind us that every milestone is possible because of the individuals who have unwavering belief in our vision of a city where everyone has a decent place to live. Their stories are part of the foundation we’ve built together and remind us that our work is more than building and repairing homes, but about building community together. 

Watch Angie’s video interview below.