Community Building
Wherever Habitat East Bay builds homes, we are committed to improving both the quality of life of homeowners and the spirit of the neighborhood around us. By building high-quality, environmentally low-impact houses, we are fulfilling our commitment to neighborhood revitalization. We select Habitat homeowners who have the interest and commitment to improving their neighborhood. We look for potential homeowners who have taken a leadership role in their community, whether for a sports team, community group, or school or religious activity. We also seek out homeowners who have an interest in improving their neighborhood, even if they’ve never done it before. When selecting partner families, we look for homeowners who are excited about working with their new neighbors and who want to prepare themselves as best they can for homeownership.
Since most Habitat homeowners have not owned a home before, we offer a comprehensive series of leadership training and homeowner education courses. During the sweat equity period, homeowners will attend workshops once or twice monthly about different topics that will become important after moving in. These sessions are run by guest speakers, Habitat East Bay staff, Habitat East Bay homeowners and community leaders. Topics include:
- First-time homebuyer’s workshop
- Planning for the future
- Financial literacy
- Saving for retirement
- Community revitalization
- The responsibilities, mechanics and challenges of running a Homeowners’ Association (if the development has one)
- The organizing process
- The one-on-one interview
- Door-knocking
- Building a core around you
- Acquiring skills to run a social change organization
- Planning and facilitating meetings
- Using the media
- Grassroots fundraising
- Living in a diverse community
- Preventing burnout
- Conflict resolution
- Understanding the features of your home
- Understanding the ‘green’ features
- Maintenance of your home
At the time of move-in, we expect that homeowners will have the skills to be prepared for homeownership and will have stronger relationships with their new neighbors. For the first year after move-in, we expect new homeowners continue to attend leadership meetings to help facilitate sessions for homeowners just joining the program. After moving in we also expect homeowners to participate in their Homeowners’ Association if the development has an association, or to stay involved with their neighbors in other ways by forming neighborhood watch groups, hosting social events, etc.
