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Worldwide, an estimated 100 million people were homeless in 2015, with an additional 1.6 people lacking adequate housing, according to the Homeless World Cup Foundation. St. Vrain Habitat for Humanity, not only works with locals to build their forever homes, but contributes to an international fund. The nonprofit was recognized last week for reaching a new benchmark when they reached a total donation of $1 million.
Based on a foundational principle from which the organization started, Habitat for Humanity, nationwide, feels it is important to not only build homes within the United States but to contribute to new homes for families in 70 countries around the world, John Lovell, director of development at St. Vrain Habitat for Humanity said.
“From our very founding, we have always believed in this particular tithe to our international partners. We’ve tried to take it a step further to actually go out and visit these countries … to build with them and get to know their staff and the folks that are doing that work on the ground,” Lovell said.
For the St. Vrain Habitat for Humanity, those efforts are focused on Paraguay, Nepal, Lesotho and Jordan.
St. Vrain Habitat for Humanity’s commitment to assisting other countries has, over the last 32 years, reached a total of $1 million. As such, the national Habitat for Humanity organization has awarded the local chapter with the Sam Mompongo award. St. Vrain now joins 55 out of 1,180 other chapters in this distinction.
The award receives its name after Millard Fuller, in 1976, visited a village in Zaire. This became the site of the first international homes built for Habitat for Humanity. Sam Mompongo, the Habitat Zaire leader at the time, liked the idea so much he raised money for Fuller to start another Habitat for Humanity site. Fuller decided to launch a new site in Guatemala from the donation, according to a news release.
St. Vrain Habitat for Humanity is considered a medium sized affiliate, serving communities between 100,000 to 250,000. Of the 55 chapters who have reached this benchmark, only seven have been from communities of this size, Lovell said.
“Longmont is a pretty special place,” Lovell said.
The $1 million donation has contributed to 240 homes built throughout the world, Lovell said adding the organization set a new goal in 2018 to fund 180 more international homes, a goal it has half met in 2021.
Not only is St. Vrain vested in building homes internationally, but they have local goals also that have Habitat International watching what will come next.
Just south and east of Longmont, on the edges of St. Vrain Habitat’s territory, lies Dacono, a town of approximately 5,500 people. It is here that the St. Vrain Habitat is exploring neighborhood revitalization, a concept that has been around for a long time, Lovell said.
Neighborhood revitalization began in 2010 “in an effort to serve more families in a holistic way through building communities,” states the St. Vrain Habitat for Humanity website.
The local chapter has worked in the The Glens neighborhood, which consists of 780 home, 60% owned by the residents, since 2009, building new homes. “The Home Repair program was started for existing homeowners in The Glens who are unable to make much needed repairs on their homes,” the website states.
SInce 2018, it has been the organization’s goal to repair 50 homes in this area. It also plans to build a neighborhood coalition to focus on more community oriented projects, Lovell said.
This is a model that Habitat hopes to replicate in other chapters based on the lessons learned in nearby Dacono.
“We are pretty excited about where we stand. I think part of it is that we have had a great board of directors that has kept us focused and quite honestly a terrific executive director who has been with us a long time and really believes in our mission,” Lovell said.
Whether near or far, the St. Vrain Habitat for Humanity is committed to its efforts in helping individuals have adequate and safe housing.
