January’s Organization of the Month

Welcome to January’s Organization of the Month!
Flower City Habitat for Humanity
(Brought to you by Five Star Bank)

2-henrietta-restore-store-front-with-boat — Flower City Habitat for Humanity has two ReStore locations. One at 755 Culver Road in the city and another at 2199 East Henrietta Road in Henrietta. ReStore sells new and used construction material, furniture, appliances, home goods and even boats!

Address: 755 Culver Road, Rochester, NY 14609
Phone: 585-546-1470
Website: RochesterHabitat.org
Email: habitat@rochesterhabitat.org

Year Established: 1984
Serves: Monroe County
Mission Statement: Seeking to put God’s love into action, Flower City Habitat for Humanity brings partners together to build homeownership, communities, and hope.

Overview: Flower City Habitat for Humanity (FCHH) is a non-denominational Christian housing ministry dedicated to eliminating substandard and poverty housing. We believe everyone deserves a decent place to call home and homeownership creates strength, stability, and self-reliance. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers, purchase their home, and pay an affordable mortgage. Since 1984, FCHH has built or renovated over 225 homes, and is one of the largest Habitat affiliates in the northeastern US. In 2017, our goal is to continue our work of building homeownership, communities, and hope by serving an additional 15 families in Rochester through our Homebuyer Program.

Homeowners and their families put in lots of hard work to make their dreams of homeownership a reality. Even the little ones get credit, good grades count towards Sweat Equity hours!

Flower City Habitat for Humanity is able to help about ten families a year achieve their goals of homeownership. So much of our success is because of dedicated volunteers!

Homebuyer Program: Qualified families interested in becoming homeowners enter into our Homebuyer Program. They help to build their own homes and other Habitat homes; take classes to improve their credit, financial literacy, money management, home safety; and give their time to our community through another non-profit of their choice. The strength and self-reliance created by this opportunity helps homeowner families eliminate barriers to a healthier, more financially stable life. FCHH selects homebuyer families based on three foundational principles: need for decent, affordable housing; ability to pay an affordable mortgage; and a willingness to partner.

Homeward Bound Program: Assists participants working through the barriers of poverty preventing them from qualifying into the Homebuyer Program. Common issues are low credit scores or a short employment history. Participants in this program work their way through educational classes to eventually be accepted into the Homebuyer Program.

Upcoming Events:
The 7th Annual Roc Properties Fundraising Event will be held at Village Gate, Friday, April 28th. Play games, enjoy food and drink from local restaurants, and hear from volunteers, donors, and homebuyers about how our mission has impacted them. Leader’s Build Series begins May and runs through October. Join Rochester’s business leaders on the construction site or become a build day sponsor. Sponsorship packages are available for Roc Properties and Leaders Build. The Pie Sale runs from September through the Holiday season, which helps our faith-based and other partner groups reach their fundraising goals in support of our mission. Group Events: Groups supporting FCHH such as Women Build and Habitat Young Professionals hold fundraising events throughout the year. For a complete schedule visit our website. If you are interested in additional information, contact Ethel Duble, Development Director, at eduble@rochesterhabitat.org.

And, see us at the Celebrate City Living Expo 2017, Saturday, April 1, at Rochester’s City Hall, from 10-2pm.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Whether you want to build houses, work with families, plan events, or help in MANY other of our volunteer opportunities we have, we invite you to be part of a kind, dedicated, and welcoming volunteer community that is actively building strength, stability, and self-reliance in Rochester. We have a variety of one-time and regular opportunities for individuals and groups. Ways you can get involved include: working on committees, giving presentations, organizing constituent groups, construction, clerical and administrative office work, retail ReStore work, becoming a homebuyer mentor, special events, and other special projects. For more information on any of these visit our website or contact Ken Braley, Volunteer Coordinator, at volunteering@rochesterhabitat.org.

Not only is ReStore a great place to shop but it’s also a great place to donate your items, to give them another life. We even offer pick up!

Be part of the progress!
Research has shown that decent housing improves health, increases children’s educational achievement and strengthens community ties. Habitat’s affordable house payments free-up money for food, transportation, child care, medicine and other necessities. By donating to FCHH you’re giving a hand-up, not a hand-out, to families working to break the cycle of poverty and build long-term financial security.
Individual Giving: Donate through honorary or memorial gifts, planned giving, United Way (#1521), by mail, in person, or online.
Corporate Giving: Your business can support Flower City Habitat through monetary sponsorships and/or through In-Kind Donations.
ReStore Donations: ReStore takes donations of new and used home improvement materials, furniture, and appliances, from individuals and businesses. All proceeds go to Flower City Habitat to build more homes here in Rochester. Call (585) 697-2012 to schedule a pick-up.

“Five Star Bank is pleased to highlight the Flower City Habitat for Humanity and all of the good work they do in the City of Rochester. They bring thousands of people together every year to build homes, community and hope. We applaud their efforts, which have resulted in more than 200 homes built or renovated since 1984.”