Doing More for Our Community: Introducing Habitat Helping Hands

Columbia County Habitat for Humanity (CCHFH) is planning to accelerate its building program and is introducing a new homeowner assistance service in 2022 to help address the escalating housing affordability crisis in Columbia County.
 
Al Bellenchia, executive director/CEO of CCHFH, said, “We are committed to doing more to create more housing for the county’s lower income and working families who simply cannot find safe, affordable places to live. We are also looking to do more to help struggling homeowners to make minor repairs, make their homes safer and more accessible, and to help keep seniors in place.”

The CCHFH Board of Directors has adopted a new framework to guide the organization over the next several years and is actively planning for increasing the building capacity of the Habitat affiliate, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2023.
 
Christian Kersten, president of the Columbia County Habitat Board of Directors, said, “We are encouraged by the groundswell of support for increasing the county’s affordable housing stock. We must do more to keep our county economically competitive, and that includes housing for our workforce. Many of our service and agricultural workers, for example, simply cannot afford to live where they work.”
 
“We are having many conversations with like-minded individuals and organizations on how we can partner to use the Habitat model to increase affordable home ownership county-wide, as well as provide more services to struggling lower-income homeowners,” Bellenchia said. “Habitat is the only option for affordable home ownership for many. And safe, affordable homes matter in our county. It creates stability in a workforce, leads to better economic and health outcomes, builds community stability and a path out of poverty, and it leads to better educational performance, lower levels of crime, and greater civic engagement.”

Habitat Helping Hands Launched

​Bellenchia noted that several organizations have signed on to support the new Habitat Helping Hands initiative, including Columbia Greene Community College, the Dyson Foundation, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Ed Herrington, Inc., and the Philmont Public Library.
 
Richard Herrington, VP/General Manager of Ed Herrington, Inc. said, “Herrington’s has been a longtime supporter of Columbia County Habitat for Humanity and it is an honor that we can continue to support their important work in providing a pathway to affordable and sustainable housing, and in their new Habitat Helping Hands initiative focusing on home maintenance and repair.”
 
“Greylock recognizes that financial wellness and homeownership are the keys to a thriving community,” said Greylock CEO/President John L. Bissell. “We are grateful for Habitat’s work and are looking forward to a long and successful partnership.”
 
“The Philmont Library is thrilled to have the support of Columbia County Habitat and we look forward to working together to assist homeowners in our community through the services that Habitat Helping Hands will coordinate,” said Librarian Tobi Farley.
 
“Habitat Helping Hands is an evolution of the home improvement and repair services that have historically been offered by Habitat in the county,” Bellenchia said. “We are extending our range of support services for lower-income homeowners, by partnering with individuals and organizations to provide home repair and maintenance repairs, coaching and support, financial literacy and home buying education, assistance for elderly homeowners, and more services in development. Homeownership repair and maintenance services will be needs-based, and an application is required.”
 
For more information, email [email protected] or visit our website at columbiacountyhabitat.org/habitat-helping-hands/.

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Commitment to meet the needs of lower income working families

Habitat Board President Chris Kersten said: “As 2021 came to a close, the Board and staff of Columbia County Habitat for Humanity formally committed to meeting the need and opportunities to further develop affordable housing solutions for our communities. We can meet the need and opportunity emerging in the 2020’s by:
 

• Evolving to have impact and greater market power/presence.
• Diversifying the type of housing that we build and rehabilitate to serve a larger number of people who live and serve in our communities.
• Achieving consistency and competency in new forms of affordable home building.
• Forming partnerships to create a virtuous cycle that renews and expands our ability to serve our communities.

 
“We are already underway with planning our next builds, which will be announced later this Spring,” Bellenchia said. “We look forward to partnering with families on building their homes, welcoming volunteers back to our building teams, and helping create new paths for affordable home ownership in Columbia County.”

Interested in volunteering? Send us an email at [email protected].