Greetings!

I'd like to start this message by saying that all of our staff miss seeing all of you that make up our Habitat family!

One of the greatest things about our mission has always been the community and feeling of family that comes from volunteers and donors working alongside our partner families as they complete sweat-equity on our construction sites or in the ReStore. Beyond our partner families are the relationships and camaraderie among regular, individual volunteers and volunteer groups who come out to do community service or team building. Even committee work and Board meetings have felt different through distance.

While separation has changed this feeling of community at Habitat, one thing that has been heightened is the idea of simple, decent, safe and affordable housing. Through COVID-19, all of us have been spending more time at home and this has brought light to the disparities between those who have decent and affordable housing and those who do not.

I've asked all of our staff to think about what "home" means to them personally but also what it means for the work that we do each and every day to fulfill our mission. In the coming weeks, we'll be sharing more on this topic but for now, I'll leave you with a thought: what if your home were different through this pandemic? Maybe half the size or twice the cost. Perhaps unsafe in structure, unsanitary (bugs or mold issues) or in need of weatherization. Our mission is going to change the rest of this year because of COVID-19 and loss of income. We will continue to build and repair homes but not to the extent that we originally planned.

If you believe in our mission and are financially stable, please consider a one-time or monthly gift to our organization in any amount to help jump start the operation of our housing programs as they reopen.

You can donate by clicking here.

Sincerely,

Sarah Beckman

Executive Director

When Habitat for Humanity Lakeside closed its doors in March and our staff went on a temporary layoff due to COVID-19, we made a difficult decision to close our housing programs. Applications that were in progress were paused and no new applications were being accepted. When we returned to work during the first week in May, our immediate priority was to regain revenue. Our second priority was to reopen our housing programs. On May 20, our Board of Directors voted to reopen applications for our Home Buyer and Home Repair Programs. In a time when there is so much uncertainty, we are happy to provide hope to those in need of better shelter, whether that is through exploring homeownership with our Home Buyer Program or seeking no-interest financing for a repair through our Home Repair Program. If you know a family in need, please encourage them to visit our website to set up a informational phone session with our Family Services Manager.