Download - New Volunteer Orientation
Building Houses, Building
HOPE, Building
Philadelphia
Building Houses, Building Hope, Building Philadelphia
Our History…
… Across
The
City.
…Is
Being
Written…
1 in 4 households in Philadelphia have an annual income
below $20,000 and cannot afford to pay for the roof over
their heads without sacrificing other essentials.
Building Houses, Building Hope, Building Philadelphia
one in four
Affordable Housing is defined as costing no more
that 30% of one’s income
That’s a 116-hour work
week for a single parent
earning minimum wage
(and paying $1,095 avg. rent)
Can’t work all 116 hours?
You might need to think
about going without:
Building Houses, Building Hope, Building Philadelphia
Prescriptions for your kids?
A night’s healthy dinner?
New school supplies?
Fixing the broken washing
machine?
A visit from pest control?
Keeping up with your bills?
Building Houses, Building Hope, Building Philadelphia
Partner Families Habitat builds with people, not for people.
Families are selected based on three requirements:
1. Ability to pay a zero-interest mortgage (for a family of four, that’s a yearly income of between
. $23,350 and $46,680)
2. Willingness to partner
(working 350 Sweat Equity hours on Habitat sites)
3. Need for housing
(the family’s current living situation)
Building Houses, Building Hope, Building Philadelphia
The Habitat Solution
350 Sweat Equity hours = down payment
Zero-interest mortgage = $450 monthly payment
Quality housing & lower bills = more successful families
Homeownership = an achievable goal
What makes this work?
Volunteers
Critical Home Repair &
Weatherization Programs A few facts about the need for this specific program in Philadelphia
include:
• 80% of owner-occupied houses are over 40 years old;
• 12% of owner-occupied homes are structurally inadequate, compared
to 6% for peer cities;
• One out of eight homeowners cannot afford to make needed repairs to
their homes;
• Five years is the typical time it takes an occupied home with serious
problems such as cracks in the walls or holes in the roof to be
abandoned; and
• 22+ existing occupied homes can be repaired and weatherized for the
cost of building a single new row home.
Focused on preserving homes with existing homeowners
Far more Families Served!
Building Houses, Building Hope, Building Philadelphia
www.habitatphiladelphia.org/volunteer
•Volunteer—on Construction Sites, with our Weatherization & Home Repair
Projects, or at our ReStore (http://www.habitatphiladelphia.org/restore)
(Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age!)
•Plan a Team Build Day for your organization
•Lend your time and expertise to a Committee
•Shop at or Donate to the ReStore
•Donate your vehicle: Cars for Homes (www.habitat.org/carsforhomes)
•Invest in our mission and change lives today!!
Many Ways to Help!
Building Houses, Building Hope, Building Philadelphia
Volunteering Guidelines
Please keep the following things in mind as you begin volunteering:
1. Everyone works together at Habitat Philadelphia! Our sites are
educational environments in which all participants should be comfortable
regardless of skill or expertise
2. Volunteers should make sure they can meet the physical criteria of the
project they’re signed up for. If you have questions or are concerned
about the physical demands of a project, please let me know! It is your
responsibility to inform us of any physical or other limitations that might
be relevant to volunteering with us, or any accommodations you’d like us to
try to make for you
3. Volunteers should have the ability to fully understand and follow all
directions given by Habitat Philadelphia staff.
4. All volunteers work at the sole discretion of Habitat Philadelphia and
its employees.
Building Houses, Building Hope, Building Philadelphia
What makes the
Ideal Volunteer?
PREPARATION •On your work day go directly to the site you have
selected.
•Come dressed in work clothes, closed-toed shoes,
and bring water and food. Dress for being
outdoors!
•Plan to work with us from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm (or
at the ReStore for a full or half day). *Safety talk
begins at 8:30!
•We provide all tools and safety gear! Label
personal tools if you want to bring them.
Building Houses, Building Hope, Building Philadelphia
What makes the
Ideal Volunteer?
FLEXIBILITY
•Willingness to work on ANY task needed, even if it’s
not your favorite construction project
•An understanding that ALL aspects of building a
house are equally important and equally valued
•Openness to doing things Habitat’s way, even if you’ve
done a task before on your own
•Willingness to try (and learn) something new
What makes the
Ideal Volunteer?
COMMITMENT
•Serious commitment to working with us on all days you’ve
signed up for
•Willingness to work on assigned tasks carefully and
thoroughly. DON’T be afraid to make mistakes; DO ask
questions, be open to feedback, and correct mistakes!
•Volunteers regularly (ex: once a week, once a month)
•Contributes comprehensively: Time, Talent and Treasure!
www.habitatphiladelphia.org/ways-give
• Don’t see many spaces for volunteering?
– Check again in a week; New updates posted regularly
• To Learn more about Habitat or our opportunities:
Become a Facebook fan of Habitat Philadelphia
Sign up for bi-weekly volunteer updates and e- news
for more up-to-date information:
(http://www.habitatphiladelphia.org/enews)
Building Houses, Building Hope, Building Philadelphia
Volunteer Shifts
Building Houses, Building Hope, Building Philadelphia
If you MUST cancel…call/email the volunteer manager to
notify us of this change ASAP.
•TWO STRIKE No Show/No Call policy (cancelling beforehand
does not count as a strike!)
(215) 765 6000 x10
OR
(215) 739-9300 •Weather: in MOST cases we build regardless of weather.
Changes are according to the Philadelphia School District
schedule or notification from the site supervisor
•We will make every attempt to notify you of a project’s
cancellation or redeployment plans prior to your service day.
Scheduling/Cancellation
Building Houses, Building Hope, Building Philadelphia
Thank You!
Check out our website: www.habitatphiladelphia.org