Homeownership is a big part of The American Dream. At Knoxville Habitat for Humanity, we are a proud partner with individuals and families who are living in substandard housing conditions who want a safe and comfortable place to call home.
Dear Habitat Supporters,
What an exciting year we have just been through with Knoxville Habitat for Humanity! We celebrated several milestones, including our 25th anniversary, the building of our 400th home, and the opening of our new ReStore location. Most importantly, we continued to give low-income families the opportunity for homeownership – all while moving them from unsafe or overcrowded living conditions. With all of the wonderful accomplishments during the past year, it might be easy for casual observers to assume the coming year to be anti-climactic. How wrong they would be! Because of our past successes, Knoxville Habitat for Humanity is poised to have a strong growth year.
As the board chairman for this fiscal year, I look forward to working with our board of directors, staff and volunteers to address our next challenges. The decisions and actions our organization takes this year will have a significant impact on the future of our ministry for years to come. The primary areas I have identified for focus this year are our ReStore and strengthening our brand awareness in the community.
Our ReStore has historically been an untapped resource. Previously housed in a small 4,500 square foot warehouse attached to the office, the ReStore has always been a popular destination with our DIY customers, but the potential for growth was limited by our space. If you haven’t been to our new 23,000 square foot facility on Merchant’s Drive, you need to stop by for a visit. There is no other store like it in Knox County operated by a non-profit. The concept of selling new and gently used home-improvement supplies is a strong one and very attractive to shoppers. This year we will work hard to attract new customers with more and better donations to the ReStore to make money to support our underlying mission to eliminate poverty housing.
Additionally, we will focus on strengthening the Habitat brand in Knox County and work to attract more qualified homeowners to our program. Globally, Habitat for Humanity is one of the most widely recognized brands. Locally we have strong awareness and support for our work. Yet there are many people, even among our supporters, who don’t understand how our program works or that we provide “a hand up, not a hand out.” At the same time, many would-be homeowners have told us they are hesitant to apply to our program because they believe they won’t qualify. We will actively search out qualified candidates this year to build our pipeline of qualified families.
I look forward to working with our board and supporters as we build upon the great work we’ve accomplished for the past 25 years. And I challenge each of you to get involved in this ministry in ways you haven’t considered in the past. With our continued focus, the best is yet to come for Knoxville Habitat for Humanity!
Regards,
Robyn Ulrich
Chairman of the Board
Knoxville Habitat for Humanity
Homeownership is a big part of The American Dream. At Knoxville Habitat for Humanity, we are a proud partner with individuals and families who are living in substandard housing conditions who want a safe and comfortable place to call home.
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