Lisa Prince called Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia when the roof of her home in West Philadelphia started leaking. The organization is a local affiliate of the largest nonprofit homebuilder, Habitat for Humanity International.
However, when Habitat’s team came to help Prince, they found more issues than they expected.
“I’ve got to thank God for the call,” Prince says. “When I called [Habitat] and told them what was going on with my house, the roof was leaking. I didn’t even know the heater was more broken than I knew until they told me they’d never seen that heater before. They just went to work.”
Prince and members of Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia celebrated the organization’s one-thousandth home repair on November 15 with a press conference in front of Prince’s home. The organization pledged to make 200 more home repairs in the next two years.
“I’m just grateful,” Prince told the gathered community members.
Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia has served people in the city since 1985. They’ve also built or sold more than 260 affordable homes to first-time homeowners.
Vice President of Strategic Partnerships Carrie Rathmann knows how important Habitat’s work is, especially for the people of Philadelphia.
“It means a lot to know that I get to have the honor of getting to help other people stay in the homes that they have,” she says. “And then the neighborhoods that they’ve invested in and grown up and love, just like I have, so that means everything. How lucky to have your work be so fulfilling and to be so tangible.”
Habitat’s one-thousandth home repair press conference was also a call to action. Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes has implored the Pennsylvania state government to use its $14 billion budget surplus to support organizations like Habitat.
“If more money out of that surplus doesn’t come to programs like this, then shame on us,” Hughes says. “Shame on us. But it will only happen–it will only happen–if we put the pressure on the system to do more for more.”
Prince’s repair may mark a milestone, but Habitat’s leaders have no plans to slow down. Board Chair Floyd Lebrón believes Habitat has more to do for the communities of Philadelphia.
“One-thousand is a big number,” he says. “But as I look around, we’re just getting started.”
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