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In the News

December 2022
In the News

Delaware Habitat For Humanity’s Partnering To Be Able To Do More Home Repairs

DELAWARE– Cassandra Asher of Laurel says her home used to be riddled with problems.

“There was gaps all in the window, all in the door so I had to put insulation and things like that around the outside,” Asher said.  Sussex County Habitat For Humanity repaired two windows and a door for her.

“This window had plastic on it in the winter time so and it was very drafty,” Asher said. “I had a difficult time opening it.”

On Wednesday, employees from New Castle, Kent, and Sussex announced plans to mold together an expanded and refined statewide home repair program.

“In recent years, we realized that the most affordable house is the one that someone already lives in.,” CEO of Sussex County Habitat For Humanity Kevin Gilmore said. “And with a small investment we can keep people in their houses, still building new houses as we need to. But there’s a lot of people who just need some improvements living in their house or to make their house more healthy.”

According to a study done by the University Of Delaware, two-thirds of manufactured homes in Delaware are in Sussex County. Sussex County also has the highest number of low income households and homeowners.

Neighborhood Revitalization Manager Michael D’Ovidio says the need for home repairs is always growing.

“We can do roofs, we’re doing a lot of flooring, a lot of doors and windows,” D’Ovidio said. “It helps also with energy savings. So a lot of focus on that as well.”

The impact of the current home repair program is many stories high. Cassie was left unable to work after suffering a stroke and three brain aneurysms. She says Habitat was the hand-up she needed.

[read the full WRDE article]

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December 2022
In the News

Habitat for Humanity affiliates and UD release study on Delaware’s housing repair needs

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Delaware for Delaware’s three Habitat for Humanity branches underscored the role of housing repair in addressing the state’s escalating affordable housing shortage.

The research team’s statewide survey reached an estimate of 25,000 owner-occupied homes in need of repair. Of those, roughly 5,000 could be considered substandard, meaning they are in severe need of repairs and could risk becoming uninhabitable. The types of repairs needed range from mold remediation to rebuilding foundations; in New Castle County, many of the homes in need of repair are found in older Wilmington neighborhoods, while in Kent and Sussex County, repair needs are greatest in manufactured home communities.

The researchers note that deferring maintenance on homes until they become uninhabitable only deepens the state’s affordable housing crisis, potentially leaving low-income homeowners – many of them seniors – homeless.

Research lead and UD Biden School of Public Policy and Administration associate professor Steve Metraux says essential repairs for those homes could cost nearly $100 million – an exponentially larger figure than the amount of funding currently available in Delaware to support housing repair.

[read the full Delaware Public Media article]

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December 2022
In the News

Wells Fargo donates $35K to Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County

WILMINGTON – Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County (HFHNCC) received a $35,000 donation from the Wells Fargo Builds program to support neighborhood revitalization on the Eastside of Wilmington. The grant will assist low-income families by building affordable homes, providing critical repairs to preserve homeownership and organizing neighborhood revitalization projects.

This month, Wells Fargo employees volunteered on the Eastside of Wilmington to clean up public spaces and installed: 31 smoke detectors, 33 ring doorbells, 32 motion detector lights, and 36 flower boxes.

“As homeownership remains out of reach for too many families, we’re proud of our long-standing work with Habitat for Humanity – both here in New Castle and nationally – to increase the supply of affordable homes,” Stephen Briggs, vice president of community relations for Wells Fargo, said in a statement. “Volunteering with Habitat has always been a huge source of pride for our employees, and we’re excited to put on our hard hats to help families start a new journey in their lives as homeowners – a key part to building intergenerational wealth.”

[read the full Delaware Business Times article]

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December 2022
In the News

MEDIA ADVISORY Three Delaware Habitat Affiliates Announce Findings from New Statewide Study on Healthy Housing and Critical Repair Needs in Delaware

WILMINGTON DE, December 1, 2022 – The impact of substandard housing on health and the need for critical home repairs in low-income, owner-occupied homes in Delaware is clear according to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Delaware’s Joseph R. Biden School of Public Policy & Administration.

WHAT:  Delaware’s Habitat for Humanity affiliates will hold a joint press conference to announce findings from a new Statewide Needs Assessment for Repairs to Low-Income Owner-Occupied Housing in Delaware. The needs assessment was partly funded by a Delaware Community Foundation grant.

WHO:  A statewide partnership between Delaware’s Habitat affiliates: Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County, Sussex County Habitat for Humanity, and Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity.  Remarks from Kevin Smith, CEO, HFHNCC, Kevin Gilmore, CEO, SCHFH, and Tim Bailey, Executive Director, CDHFH.

Researchers from the University of Delaware’s Joseph R. Biden School of Public Policy & Administration. Other invited speakers

WHEN:  December 7, 2022, at 11 am

WHERE:  208 Gunning Bedford Dr, Dover, DE

CONTACT:  Kathi Barber, Director of Development, Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County | 302.300.0533 | kbarber@habitatncc.org

[click here to download the official press release]

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November 2022
In the News

Interfaith Thanksgiving service calls for ‘collective faith and united effort’ to solve housing crisis

“There is plenty of room at the table, and there’s plenty of space under the tent.”

That is the message that clergy members from a variety of faiths preached Tuesday evening during Newark’s interfaith Thanksgiving service.

The annual event, which started in 1989, brings together Newarkers of all religions and denominations and rotates between different churches in the area. This year’s gathering drew more than 100 people to Saint Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, while others watched an online live stream.

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November 2022
In the News

One root at a time: How a longtime East Side resident encouraged growth and development

The housing progress on a block formerly known as Wilmington’s McCaulley Street represents a sense of satisfaction for Missouri Molock, who remembers what was once a waste-ridden street more than 50 years ago with run-down homes and weeds growing along vacant lots.

Molock, a 100-year-old East Side resident, first moved into the neighborhood in 1964. Around the 1970s, the area was filled with trash, she said, and many female sex workers partied inside vacant homes.

“Section 8 took some of those houses I heard — and somebody started renting them to some young girls who were noisy and left a mess,” Molock said.

According to Molock, the long-suffering neighborhood on the East Side bordering 11th, 12th, Lombard and Pine Streets endured roughly 20 years of disinvestment and neglect, leaving it up to residents to make changes they wanted to see in their own community.

[read the Delaware Online article]

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October 2022
In the News

Delaware Park Casino & Racing Donates $7,500 to Habitat for Humanity New Castle County: Includes Donated Monies from Guests and a Generous Cash Contribution from Casino

WILMINGTON, DE / ACCESSWIRE / October 24, 2022 / Delaware Park Casino & Racing presented Habitat for Humanity New Castle County with a check in the amount of $7,500 today. In the past few months, Meals on Wheels Delaware, Boys & Girls Club of Delaware and Nemours Fund for Children’s Health all received donations from Delaware Park totaling $18,500. “We are overjoyed at the level of guest participation thus far. We plan to continue collecting unused slot vouchers, as well as making substantial cash contributions to many more worthy organizations on a monthly basis,” said Ron Baumann, President and General Manager of Delaware Park Casino & Racing.

Fifteen Delaware Park Team Members had a hands-on opportunity September 14th, as they assisted with one of Habitat’s building sites. Says Mr. Baumann, “This experience was very rewarding and allowed us the unique opportunity to give back to the Community in a very concrete way.”

Habitat for Humanity NCC empowers homeowners, residents and volunteers to make lasting change in neighborhoods through education, training and advocacy. Since 1986, Habitat NCC has built more than 250 homes and has served more than 350 New Castle County families.

[read the full article here]

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October 2022
In the News

Groundbreaking for a Strong Neighborhood

On Friday, Director Eugene Young, Jr. joined Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, Senator Darius Brown, and Rep. Franklin Cooke for a groundbreaking of a future home for the Newton family.

DSHA is proud to have supported this project through the Strong Neighborhoods Housing Fund (SNHF).

Since 2015, DSHA has received $14.2 million in SNHF funding to support community development and transform neighborhoods that are experiencing blight or other forms of stress, including high crime. The SNHF supports these communities by renovating abandoned, foreclosed, or blighted properties.

We look forward to seeing this project completed and welcoming the Newton family to their new home!

[for more information on the DHSA Strong Neighborhoods Housing Fund]

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