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U.S. Construction Updates
Supporting the construction teams that serve our mission.
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From your U.S. Construction team
We collect a lot of production data from affiliates so that we can study trends, adjust our services and pursue funding opportunities. We thought we’d take a minute to share and celebrate some of the accomplishments of the U.S. affiliate community in fiscal year 2019.
We have a lot to be proud of
In FY2019, U.S. affiliates produced 2,990 new homes, completed 851 rehabs/recycle homes and completed 8,237 repair projects. Let’s take a second to appreciate that all of our efforts combined resulted in over 12,000 affordable housing solutions in just one year.
We serve a lot of individuals in vulnerable groups
Of all the individuals who have benefited from our construction efforts, 37% are dependents, 28% are disabled, 9% are military veterans and 37% are over 65. Note that some people qualify as more than one of these vulnerable group categories, such as an individual over 65 who is also disabled. The takeaway here is we are helping individuals who are in the most need, but it’s also a good opportunity to re-evaluate what kinds of homes we’re building and repairing. With a quarter of our residents being disabled and a third over the age of 65, are we including enough accessibility features to ensure their homes remain safe and affordable?
Disaster response projects continue to increase
U.S. affiliates completed a total of 859 housing interventions tied to disaster response, including 50 new homes, 25 rehabs and 784 repairs. Hurricanes dominate the list of causes, with 644 projects in response to their damage. Flood damage is the next largest cause, resulting in 154 response projects. This is another encouraging accomplishment and again a great opportunity to ask ourselves: Are we building new and building back strong enough to withstand the next disaster?
Repair interventions dominate affiliate construction numbers
Repairs have been a staple of affiliate construction activity for several years now, and in FY2019, 68% of all U.S. construction interventions were repairs. Since we began counting repairs in 2008, affiliates have increased the percentage of repairs by an annual average of 5%, and it looks like we’re on track to keep that pace for FY 2020.
More than half of all construction projects utilize national programs
Programs like A Brush with Kindness, Aging in Place, Disaster Response, Women Build, Repair Corps, Veterans Build, Thrivent Builds and others have contributed to more than half of all construction projects! Is your affiliate participating with any or all of these programs?
Interested in digging into the details of U.S. affiliate production? The U.S. Databook is available on MyHabitat.
Construction news
RESNET recognizes Habitat for local and national performance
Habitat affiliates nationwide have certified 8,300 homes using the Residential Energy Services Network Home Energy Rating System Index. Why is a RESNET HERS Index so important, and why do so many affiliates take this extra step to ensure that our construction efforts will pay off in long-term affordability for our homebuyers? If you’re looking for a tool to help explain to your donors, volunteers or other affiliate leaders why this third-party verification is so important, this article is a great resource. Hear from Sue Henderson, Habitat for Humanity International’s vice president of U.S. Operations, and Kris McKelvie, director of construction at Hartford Area Habitat in Connecticut, whose recent certified Zero Energy Ready Home scored a HERS Index of -7.
Need help finding a HERS Rater near you? Check out the Sustainable Building map to see HERS Rater locations and contact information.
Using the other layers available on this map, you can also see affiliates nationwide who are building Zero Energy Ready Home and ENERGY STAR certified homes, plus those who have won sustainable building awards, are participating in renewable energy projects or have built Habitat Strong projects.
Habitat recognized for ongoing dedication to resilient construction
Habitat affiliates across the nation are committing to more resilient construction methods, and this month Habitat for Humanity of Tuscaloosa in Alabama was recognized as the 15,000th roof to be designated through the IBHS FORTIFIED Home program. Habitat Tuscaloosa designates new homes and roof repairs through the FORTIFIED program and pioneered a volunteer-friendly safe room to protect home buyers in the event of a tornado.
A FORTIFIED roof is secured and sealed to protect against wind damage and water penetration. The roof deck is thicker, with more aggressive nailing requirements than most codes require, in order to protect the roof structure from winds up to 130 mph. The shingles also have more aggressive nailing requirements than most codes, and the deck is sealed against water intrusion in the event that shingles are damaged in severe weather. You can learn more about the design and installation techniques that make these roofs so much more resilient on the FORTIFIED Home roofing resources page, which includes some really informative videos and printable PDFs for both hurricane and high wind areas.
All of these measures combined can be installed as part of new construction for an average increase of about $600 and can prevent $10,000+ in damage from severe weather compared to code-built roofs. Check out this short video to see the benefits of a sealed roof deck . These techniques can also be included in re-roof projects like rehabs and repairs. Learn more about funding some of that initial construction cost difference with a Habitat Strong grant. The application period is currently closed, so do your research now to be ready when it opens back up!
Construction funding opportunities
Grant highlight: Softwood Lumber
Does your disaster response project qualify for the Softwood Lumber grant? You can apply for reimbursement of qualified softwood lumber materials on homes built or repaired in the category of disaster response, which includes natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, landslides and hurricanes. For more information on qualifying projects, materials that qualify for reimbursement and application information, check out the Softwood Lumber grant page on MyHabitat or contact the managing team directly at softwoodlumber@habitat.org. Since this grant program began in 2007 HFHI has dispersed over $96 million, which has contributed to over 19,000 Habitat homes!
Wayfair gift card giveaway for affiliates
A partner since 2012, Wayfair is augmenting their support of Habitat this year with a gift card giveaway for affiliates. From Jan. 26 - Feb. 1 , simply enroll in the Wayfair Professional program. Ten affiliates will be chosen at random to win a $1,000 gift card. Enrollment is quick and there’s no cost. It does require an Employer Identification number. Giveaway is only open to Habitat for Humanity affiliates in good standing and with an active Habitat email address. Gift card can only be used for Habitat purposes. See full Terms & Conditions.
Construction safety
OSHA releases FAQ for the Construction Silica Standard
Crystalline silica can be a sneaky job site hazard — but it can be a deadly one all the same. Industry safety experts, including OSHA, have been working to increase awareness of the hazard and improve safety operations around it, including this new set of 53 frequently asked questions on the topic. You can read the full FAQ released by OSHA, or start with this helpful summary of highlights from the National Association of Home Builders.
Crystalline silica is most often found in cement dust, paste fillers like spackle and wood filler, drywall and drywall mud, and even caulk and adhesives. If you use these materials, you should have a plan for protecting your workers from crystalline silica. This new FAQ is great for folks already somewhat familiar with the hazard and its mitigation strategies, so if you’re just starting with the topic you can check out Silica-safe.org for an introduction.
News and highlights from across HFHI
New employee resources on MyHabitat
This collection of resources for new staff has been designed to help new hires get started quickly. This collection includes a brief podcast tour of the Knowledge Center and Yammer. Resources are divided into three categories: “I am new to Habitat,” “I am in a new role” and “I want to stay connected.” Add this link and the Introduction to Construction page to your list of resources for your new affiliate construction staff!
New Donated Product portal
Habitat for Humanity International’s Donated Product team is happy to announce that the new donated product portal is now live in a beta phase. This phase will transition items from the HFHI Marketplace to the portal and give affiliates an opportunity to explore the portal’s functionality. A few key notes about this initial phase of the portal:
- We have only transitioned a few items from the HFHI Marketplace to the portal :
- IKEA cabinets.
- LEDVANCE LED retrofit kits.
- Allegion/Schlage locks.
- All other products will still be available via the gifts-in-kind catalog or Resource Warehouse.
- The portal is open but is in a beta phase; while it is fully operational for the products currently featured on the portal, we will continue making tweaks to the portal to improve the user experience.
- If you have comments, suggestions or other feedback on how we can improve the portal, email us at donatedproduct@habitat.org or provide anonymous feedback through this survey.
The portal can be accessed by going to the MyHabitat homepage, clicking on the “Products” tile, then clicking on the “Donated Product Portal” button. You can find user guides for the portal on the “Products” page, as well as a recorded webinar introducing the portal. There will be another webinar introducing the portal on Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. EST, and you can register for it now.
Don’t forget you can stay up to date on all Donated Product news on MyHabitat.
Handling gifts of real estate
Habitat for Humanity International has created a partnership with the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta to build a program for accepting gifts of real estate anywhere in the United States, and Habitat affiliates have access to this program. The Planned Giving team has put together this toolkit to help you determine your eligibility and to connect you with resources.
What does this mean for me?
If you have a donor interested in gifting a property you don’t want to rehabilitate or build on, you can sell it instead. However, specialized due diligence is required, and potentially significant risks are associated with transactions like this. If you want the value of the donated property without the hassle of accepting title and then selling it yourself, use this program instead.
Affiliate spotlight
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An AmeriCorps NCCC team helps a local veteran clean a flooded crawlspace.
Photo credit: Habitat for Humanity of Wisconsin River Area |
Wisconsin River Area affiliate earns USDA Partner of the Year Award
Habitat for Humanity of Wisconsin River Area has been working to address damage from the 2018 flooding of the Baraboo River, which saw 25 feet of water rush through the village of La Valle at its peak. In recognition of those efforts and accomplishments the affiliate has been named the Partner of the Year by Wisconsin USDA Rural Development. In addition to the award, the affiliate will be honored by its county board with a resolution commending its partnership with the county's emergency management department.
The affiliate developed new processes for determining scope of work, recruiting volunteers and managing the distinct safety hazards of disaster clean-up, repair and reconstruction. Partnership with local agencies was crucial to its success, including a local community foundation which solicited and managed funds and the county emergency management services board which approved projects. This outside help saved administrative time on vetting applicants, writing loans and billing recipients, which then allowed the affiliate to serve more residents.
The affiliate reports that the positive coverage of these projects also helped promote their work in the community. Plus the emergency management board voted to donate remaining funds to the affiliate's repair program!
Have a project success story you’d like to share? Submit affiliate spotlight ideas on Yammer with the tag #ConstructionSpotlight.
Our ongoing “Getting Started” guide
New to this newsletter?
Check out all of our previous issues and other news items.
New to MyHabitat?
Check out our step-by-step guide to using the Knowledge Center and Yammer, including how to find even more construction resources and how to talk directly with other affiliates. If you don’t have a MyHabitat account yet — or don’t know if you do — start with this short video or this pdf quick-reference guide.
Have a question? Ask everyone.
There is a wealth of knowledge and experience at your fingertips through Yammer, the Habitat discussion board. Check in to these groups to learn and share with affiliate construction leaders and experts across the Habitat network!
Construction | Construction Safety | Repairs | Habitat Strong | Construction Management Software | Small/Rural | Women Build | Home Builders Blitz | Veteran Build | Aging in Place | Neighborhood Revitalization | Donated Product | Disaster Risk Reduction and Response
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