Blog Articles

Habitat SKKC Pilots New Volunteer Program 

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This month, Habitat SKKC launched its newest way for companies and community partners to get together and give back. The Habitat Volunteers Workshop is a hands-on volunteer opportunity held in our climate-controlled warehouse. Volunteers can stay warm and dry while making an impact during the winter season. 

The program launched on a blustery late fall day. While rain poured outside, volunteers from Home Depot’s volunteer group Team Depot gathered inside for lunch and a presentation on Habitat’s history before breaking into small groups to build planter boxes. 

Home Depot and Habitat SKKC have had a long-standing partnership focusing on building affordable housing through financial aid, donated products, and volunteer support. 

Nancy W., Outside Sales Representative for Home Depot, is one of the longtime volunteers who has played an integral role in our programming. 

“Over the years, I have worked at Megan’s Meadow in Pacific, La Fortuna in Renton, Magnolia Village in Issaquah, and Yarrow Cottages in Seattle. It’s hard to come up with just one favorite memory. It’s the profound impact of teamwork, seeing families gain hope through homeownership, the emotional home dedication ceremonies, and the transformation of lives by providing safe, decent housing,” Nancy reflected. 

Nancy helped plant the seed that became our Habitat Volunteers Workshop when she suggested demoing wooden planter boxes at last spring’s Women Build. The project was so successful that it inspired us to offer other alternative volunteering opportunities.  

One of the challenges our volunteer program faces is providing construction opportunities during the winter. Unpredictable weather can get in the way of volunteers being able to work comfortably outside, so we solved the problem by opening our warehouse space to the public and inviting groups of volunteers to visit and work on smaller projects that can be completed in a day: planter boxes, playhouses, and furniture. All of these items are either gifted to Habitat homeowners, while some are donated to the Habitat Stores and resold. That revenue stream then supports our work building affordable housing. 

The Habitat Volunteers Workshop will be piloted this winter. If it proves successful, we’ll continue to offer it as another volunteer opportunity. 

Nancy W. said she volunteers because it “fosters a deep sense of purpose, boosting confidence and providing tangible job skills while building community, leading to greater fulfillment, happiness, reduced stress, and a new perspective on life.” 

Learn more about the Habitat Volunteers Workshop and how your group can participate here. 

Foundations for Hope: Olexia S.

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Olexia S. is a resilient and inspiring homeowner who carved the life she wanted through hard work and dedication, including buying her first home through Habitat SKKC. She grew up in Colton, California, an economically depressed small town near San Bernardino. Her great-grandmother owned a duplex there, and Olexia and her mother lived in the back half for most of her childhood. She didn’t like living in her hometown and moved away as soon as she could. She relocated to Seattle in 2002, drawn by its foggy, rainy weather, which she preferred over the extreme heat of her hometown, and she felt at home immediately upon visiting and soon found an apartment. 

Olexia sitting in her Capitol Hill home, pointing upwards at her framed photo collection.

After a stint working in retail, Olexia’s experiences caring for family and volunteering with developmentally disabled children inspired her to pursue a career in social services. She started working at the front desks of a shelter and two low-income residential buildings, later becoming a business manager at one of the buildings. 

“I proved that I had the ability to work with a wide range of people, I don’t judge anyone, and I take the time to listen. They really saw my skills. I still remember my supervisor and mentor, Bob, saying, ‘I can teach you how to do the paperwork. I can’t teach you how to work with people.’ Since I already had that skill, he promoted me and then taught me the basics of how to be a business manager. I was grateful for that opportunity,” she reflects. 

Once her work life settled, she came to appreciate the city’s underground art and music scenes and its eclectic mix of people. She adds, “The queer community was very welcoming and felt like instant family.” 

Olexia began her current role at Catholic Community Services in March of 2025, an organization she worked at in the past and where she now enjoys reconnecting with familiar faces. She appreciates the flexibility and ability to work from home, which helps manage her disabilities and reduces health flare-ups. At work, her caseload predominantly consists of homeless individuals, so she provides resources and referrals for housing, advocacy, and support. A few of her clients are housed, and for them, her focus is on maintaining housing stability. 

In addition to being a full-time employee, Olexia is also a full-time student. She recently graduated with a BA in psychology and is starting an online master’s program in mental health counseling with an emphasis on trauma. Her goal is to become a licensed mental health counselor. 

Olexia sitting at her desk within her Capitol Hill home, typing on her computer.

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Inspired by her great-grandmother, Olexia always wanted to be a homeowner: “My great-grandmother not only designed and had her dream home built, but she was the owner. I loved what she had, and I always thought there was a lot of security in owning and being able to rent out part of it for supplemental income as you get older.” 

Olexia learned about Habitat’s condo project in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood through a supervisor and applied right away. The approval process required her to address some credit issues, but Habitat and the lender guided her through each step.  

She has now lived in her Habitat home for two and a half years. She appreciates the quiet, suburban feel and enjoys knowing her neighbors. Homeownership has given her security, creative freedom, and the ability to save money. She enjoys personalizing her space, such as painting rooms, removing closet doors, adding plants, and installing matching flooring in the bedroom. Having an in-unit washer and dryer and an elevator has been life-changing for her. 

Olexia thoughtfully tending to her plants.

Olexia values the sense of community among residents and occasionally shares meals or groceries with neighbors. Her living room doubles as her workspace, and she loves relaxing in her bedroom with her four cats. She appreciates features like natural light and proximity to her favorite spots on Broadway. 

She encourages anyone considering Habitat SKKC to apply, emphasizing the organization’s support and education for first-time homeowners. She believes Habitat SKKC makes the homebuying process feel less intimidating and provides resources that traditional homebuying often lacks.  

Olexia standing in the entrance to her Capitol Hill home with her cat.

Olexia says, “A lot of people don’t know about the down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, where Habitat is right up front with that. I couldn’t imagine doing this on my own. That would have been terrifying because I would have jumped right into the fire. Having access to resources and more knowledge about what it’s really like to be a first-time homeowner makes it feel less scary.” 

A Foundation for the Future: Dee’s Journey from Habitat SKKC Volunteer to Architect 

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Many people have stories to share about how Habitat for Humanity changed their lives by changing where they lived, but Habitat SKKC volunteer Dee is one of the people who credits Habitat for changing her life by inspiring her career trajectory. From an early age, Dee’s mother instilled in her the importance of giving back to your community. Growing up in Boulder, Colorado, Dee joined her mother on the build site of their local Habitat affiliate (Habitat now requires that all volunteers on construction sites are age 18 and older), and she continued to volunteer in high school and college. 

Volunteering took a personal turn when Dee’s friend’s mom applied and bought a Habitat house. She adds, “I remember a few times that we went and worked on my friend’s house, and it was such a cool experience. When Julie and her mom got to have the opening of their house and even going over there and playing, it struck something very deep within me: We came in and helped work on this house and now you get to live in this place. It was a good, safe place for my friend and her mom.” 

When she was first on the construction site, something clicked: “Looking at drawings and seeing them do framing and everything, that was a spark to my curiosity. I was very curious about the whole environment.”  

Afterwards, Dee began asking her mom and her stepdad, who worked in construction, questions about working in this industry. She was inspired by her time onsite, and her mom encouraged her to look into architecture as a potential career. She is now an architect with MG2, a global architecture firm and supporter of Habitat SKKC’s work.  

Every year, MG2 holds a Day of Giving, where staff are given paid time off to volunteer with the organization of their choice. Dee recently joined her colleagues for a planter box build day at Habitat SKKC’s Yarrow Cottages neighborhood at the 2025 Day of Giving. Because they were a large group, they took an assembly line approach to building the planter boxes. Dee hopped around different tasks and encouraged the other volunteers.  

She explains, “It was great. They pushed out a bunch of planter boxes, and it was exciting to see that finished product. In architecture oftentimes when you start, you don’t get to see the results. In tasks like this, it’s really rewarding to see a plan, work through it as a team, and then see the results and know that it’s going to a good cause.” 

Now a mother herself, Dee already looks forward to the day her six-year-old daughter will be old enough to start volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. “It was influential to have my mother do that for me, and I’d like to start doing that with her. It’s paying it forward and exposing my daughter to the idea that this is the way that we start helping each other out,” Dee says. 

Volunteers Gather for Annual Fall Feast

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Habitat SKKC staff and volunteers gathered last week for the 2025 Fall Feast, a potluck that brings together the whole of Habitat SKKC for community and celebration of all we have accomplished this year.  

There is a lot to be thankful for as we close out the year:  

  • More than 1,650 people volunteered over 25,000 hours in FY 2025.  
  • Volunteers helped us construct 38 homes and repair 106 homes this past fiscal year.  
  • Volunteers played a pivotal role at our Habitat Stores, where we saw a 12% increase in volunteerism.  
  • Volunteers who supported our advocacy efforts helped secure major legislative wins, including funding allocations that significantly boosted support for key housing initiatives and new policies that reduce development costs and expand housing options. 

This year’s Fall Feast also featured a special award presentation for Vince Stricherz, winner of the Manny Weiser Volunteer Service Award, named in honor of the long-serving Habitat SKKC volunteer. Manny, who passed away in 2021, was a dedicated volunteer who brought a positive attitude to the work site every day. Vince, who carries on Manny’s legacy of service, has volunteered with Habitat SKKC for more than 20 years and was a part of the first Interfaith Build in 2002. 

Vince reflects on finding out about his award win: “I was a little bit shocked. I happened to see the message when I was sitting at the airport waiting to connect on a flight back to Seattle. I’d been in South Dakota for my grand niece’s wedding, and I looked at that and had tears in my eyes. I don’t know why I got picked. I honestly don’t. There are so many people that have done so much.” 

Vince himself has volunteered on our construction sites, in office as a press liaison, and traveled to Olympia to advocate for affordable housing and homeownership. He, like so many of our long-time volunteers, is humble about his contributions. We are thankful for all the volunteers who make our work possible! 

Check out the photos below to see all our community gathered together.  

Veterans Build 2025: From Service to Stability 

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Veterans Build continues to be one of Habitat SKKC’s most meaningful and impactful traditions of giving back to our community. This year’s Veterans Build welcomed 158 total volunteers across King and Kittitas Counties who helped donated over 1,080 hours and raised $57,000 to support affordable homeownership.  

Sponsor groups from GenCap to Prime Electric joined us onsite at our Yarrow Cottages (Seattle), Miller’s Creek (Burien), and Stuart Meadows (Ellensburg) neighborhoods. Day one in King County kicked off with 10 volunteers from Chase Bank. Colleagues from across the region joined us at Yarrow Cottages for interior work on our nearly completed neighborhood: painting, flooring, and installing hardware for cabinets.

Volunteer Kelli M. appreciated that the opportunity allowed her to build community while volunteering, saying, “It’s a different level of connection with my colleagues, all while serving a good cause.” 

Her colleague, Kris K., first volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in high school and then again while serving in the Navy. He remembers former president Jimmy Carter, also a Navy veteran, volunteering with servicemembers on Habitat build sites across the country. The memory of President Carter’s service inspired him to come out to our build site and give back. 

We also welcomed the Seattle Seahawks for their annual Salute to Service Month and the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation for volunteer days. The latter, a nonprofit housed at the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center that serves as a hub for urban Indians, hosts a Native Veterans Program. The program connects native veterans to social services, cultural events, and traditional healing practices. Volunteers with the organization participated in an effort to build community and meet their mission of service. 

Ariel E., who served 15 years of active duty in the U.S. Army, found out about Veterans Build at a recent Powwow. Inspired by the housing crisis our city currently faces, Ariel signed up to volunteer with the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation. He explains why he thinks it’s important for people to get involved in community service: “A lot of veterans feel weird when people thank us for our service. Although I appreciate it, I don’t necessarily want to hear ‘thank you.’ The whole point of why society exists is for each other, so show that service. There needs to be more of that energy in action, not in words.” 

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The annual affinity build also raises awareness about the housing insecurity that many veterans face when they return from deployment. According to Habitat for Humanity International, nearly 1.5 million veterans pay at least 50% of their monthly income on housing. This financial strain makes covering the basics of daily life harder. It also puts building wealth, and the long-term stability it provides, completely out of reach for many people in our community. 

A big reason Habitat SKKC hosts Veterans Build is to educate veterans about our work and let them know that Habitat homes are available to them. We are dedicated to increasing the number of veterans in our Habitat for Heroes program, which lowers the barriers to homeownership for income-qualified buyers in our service region. This includes:  

  • Lower home prices, typically between the high $100Ks-mid $400Ks.  
  • A 1% down payment (typically $4K-$6K) with no mortgage insurance   
  • Below market interest rates   
  • Veteran-specific down payment assistance 
  • Mortgage payments are capped at no more than 35% of household income to ensure affordability 
  • Qualified veterans get priority in our selection process   
  • Our team offers one-on-one support for any interested veterans. Staff can answer questions and offer personalized advice based on the veteran’s situation and goals 

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One of our recent veteran homeowners, Jay, joined the military in 2009 and trained in avionics. He was severely injured during a training exercise in 2012, which meant he could never deploy again. While the injury disrupted his military career, it put him on a new course and helped him find purpose. He began traveling to naval bases to share his story and help train medical teams on the realities of life after severe injury. 

Following his service, Jay spent years moving to and from temporary housing before following his son to Ellensburg. There he met Shilo and her daughter, Alea. They moved into their Habitat home in the summer of 2025. They also grew their family this year when Jay and Shilo welcomed a baby girl. 

Jay reflects on what moving into his Habitat home means for his family: “Gaining small freedoms and room for our family. We don’t need much. This [home] is a huge goal, and I feel great!” 

Veterans like Jay made a lot of sacrifices to serve our country, and Veterans Build is one way we can actively thank them for their service.