“Saur Oorja” or Solar Power
Take 250 rural households from darkness to light with clean, green solar energy
Evidence brief: Affordable accessory dwelling units
Read research highlights to learn how accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, can help improve access to affordable housing for low-income households and more accessible housing for older adults. Plus, find out how four Habitat for Humanity affiliates are working to implement ADUs in their communities.
Helping a longtime resident age in place
The place Sheila called home for nearly 70 years had a leaky roof and an inaccessible bathroom, but she lacked the finances to pay for the repairs herself. Habitat and Lowe’s helped Sheila repair her roof and bathroom, ensuring she can comfortably live in her beloved childhood home.
Sheila has lived in her childhood home in Franklin County, Virginia, since she was 7 years old. A leaky roof and an inaccessible bathroom, however, made it increasingly difficult to comfortably reside in the place she’s called home for nearly 70 years.
Sheila uses two canes for mobility, so navigating the tub made taking a shower challenging. Then, a crack made the tub unusable altogether. “Sometimes, I would go to my daughter-in-law’s to take a shower,” she says. Her roof was also deteriorating. Sheila first discovered a leak in her storage closet, but soon other areas of her roof started to leak.
The 75-year-old knew that if she wanted to remain in her treasured home and one day pass it on to her family, she would need to repair the roof and bathroom. But finances were tight for Sheila, who retired several years ago after a long career as a seamstress and local factory worker.
A friend told Sheila about Habitat for Humanity of Franklin County’s affordable home repair program, and she decided to apply to see if the program could help.
With funding support from Lowe’s, Habitat Franklin County helped Sheila build an accessible bathroom.
Working together to serve more families
Financial support from Lowe’s helped offset the cost of Sheila’s home repairs. “Lowe’s made Sheila’s repair achievable for us,” says Sheila Overstreet, Habitat Franklin County’s executive director. “Their grant helped us with the cost of her repair. Without that funding, we couldn’t do as many repairs as we’re performing in Franklin County.”
Since 2003, Lowe’s has donated more than US$92 million to Habitat. Their support over the past two decades has helped more than 18,000 families across more than 600 communities in the U.S., Canada and India improve their living conditions. In 2022 alone, 78 affiliates were able to complete 483 repair and community revitalization projects with the help of grants funded by Lowe’s.
“At Lowe’s, we know housing conditions are critical to the prosperity of families and communities,” says Julie Yenichek, Lowe’s senior director of community relations. “The critical home repair and rehabilitation projects we support with Habitat help families improve their homes and can help older adults with fixed incomes age in place with dignity.”
Preserving a lasting legacy
Habitat Franklin County replaced Sheila’s roof and remodeled the bathroom. The bathroom modifications — fixing a sunken-in floor, moving and replacing the toilet, and installing a walk-in shower with a seat — all made the home more accessible. Sheila’s hallway floor was also repaired to ensure the structure was stable.
Sheila calls her repairs “the best thing that ever happened. I don’t ever have to worry about the rain coming in the house. I don’t have to worry about my shower. I don’t have to worry about anything,” Sheila says.
aging in place
Lowe's
home repairs
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Helping a longtime resident age in place
Helping a longtime resident age in place
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Rose Rock HFH ReStore- Shawnee
The challenge
Inadequate housing risks people’s health, safety and prospects for earning a living. Learn how residents of informal settlements in Bangladesh, Brazil and Kenya are working to overcome obstacles so they can improve their homes.
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The challenge
Photo gallery: Home is the Key 2024
As part of our annual cause marketing campaign, Home is the Key, our partners joined volunteers representing local government agencies, community organizations and social media influencers to boost our collective impact in California this April.
The process
Learn more about how Build Beyond’s projects are designed, funded and delivered.
Habitat partners with residents to revitalize an under-resourced Louisiana neighborhood
With support from Lafayette Habitat, residents in McComb-Veazey, a predominantly Black neighborhood in Lafayette, Louisiana, are leading neighborhood revitalization projects to transform their community.
After enduring decades of discrimination and disinvestment, residents in McComb-Veazey, a predominantly Black neighborhood in Lafayette, Louisiana, are rallying to revitalize their community. In partnership with Lafayette Habitat for Humanity, community members are identifying and leading projects to transform the neighborhood.
McComb-Veazey has no grocery stores, health clinics or libraries. Few shops and restaurants remain, and dozens of homes are in disrepair or abandoned. But with residents driving neighborhood revitalization efforts, there’s renewed hope in the community.
Lafayette Habitat and the McComb-Veazey Neighborhood Coterie transformed an adjudicated property into a neighborhood gathering space called the Community House. Left, before construction. Right, after construction.
“The neighborhood has changed a lot,” says Trincella Bonnet, a resident. “There’s more pride for the community. I’m very excited about the future of McComb-Veazey.”
Partnering with residents
For decades, Lafayette Habitat has partnered with families to build affordable places to call home. In 2011, the affiliate began partnering closely with the McComb-Veazey Neighborhood Coterie, a resident-led planning body that formed in 2006 to create neighborhood revitalization plans.
“Residents in the coterie had been encouraged to dream big,” says Melinda Taylor, Lafayette Habitat’s executive director. “But some of them had become discouraged because there weren’t resources to implement the neighborhood plan. We were able to come in as a partner, listen to their needs and ask, ‘How can we be a part of getting you to where you want to be?’”
Lafayette Habitat and the McComb-Veazey Neighborhood Coterie built an outdoor pavilion for community events.
In 2018, when Lafayette Habitat began participating in a five-year project to evaluate Habitat’s approaches to neighborhood revitalization, the affiliate was able to connect the coterie to resources that would help them implement their neighborhood plan.
Identifying needs and investing in projects
Residents identified building a central community gathering space as a top priority. Lafayette Habitat worked with the coterie to design and renovate a formerly adjudicated property owned by the Lafayette Consolidated Government. The affiliate manages and maintains the Community House, a one-room space that hosts coterie meetings, local events, trainings and more.
Lafayette Habitat and the coterie advocated for the city government to build a pocket park in McComb-Veazey.
Additionally, Lafayette Habitat and the resident-led coterie — together with local partners and the city government — have:
- Built more than 40 affordable homes and acquired dozens of additional blighted properties for redevelopment.
- Converted a former tire shop and filling station adjacent to the Community House into an open-air pavilion for events.
- Launched a youth entrepreneurship academy where 11- to 17-year-olds learn to develop, refine and pitch their business ideas.
- Advocated successfully for the development of a pocket park, giving neighborhood kids a safe place to play.
“This community has been asked what they wanted for years, and nothing materialized,” says Tina Shelvin Bingham, a coterie leader and Lafayette Habitat’s community development director. “Habitat and other funders were able to bring resources into the community and help us sell the vision of what could happen.”
Lafayette Habitat has partnered with families to build more than 40 affordable homes in McComb-Veazey.
Residents are energized by the physical changes in the neighborhood and are participating more in community gatherings. A survey found that 76% of McComb-Veazey residents engaged in at least one community meeting or event over the last five years.
Shaping the future of McComb-Veazey
Residents like Trincella are playing a critical role in shaping the future of their neighborhood. They have big dreams for their community and are using their collective voice to continue to advocate for the changes they want to see.
“Since I’ve been a part of the coterie, they have helped strengthen my voice,” says Trincella. “At one time, I was scared to speak. But now I feel more confident in speaking up for the rights of the community and for what their needs are. They know my voice.”
Neighborhood Revitalization
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Habitat partners with residents to revitalize an under-resourced Louisiana neighborhood
Habitat partners with residents to revitalize an under-resourced Louisiana neighborhood
Lafayette, Louisiana
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“Saur Oorja” or solar power: Take 250 rural households from darkness to light with clean, green solar energy
Habitat for Humanity works with low-income communities in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Odisha and Tamil Nadu. This project, which would benefit over 1,000 individuals, could be delivered in any – or all – of these three states.
Co-fund a project
When you co-fund a project, you help transform lives. By building housing, we build beyond the physical homes: adequate living conditions have a powerful impact on the livelihoods, health, education and more of households and communities.
