SEATTLE (July 14, 2022) – Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County is pleased to announce it has received a substantial grant of $428,000 from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust of Vancouver, Washington, dedicated to the overall expansion of its Homeowner Services Program. Funds will be used for the recruitment, hiring and training of two additional staff members, as well as a web development contract for an enhanced homeowner portal with on-demand homeowner education.
The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, created by the will of the late Melvin J. (Jack) Murdock, provides grants to nonprofit organizations in five states of the Pacific Northwest—Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington—that seek to strengthen the region’s educational, social, spiritual, and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways.
“Given the critical need for affordable housing in our region, we are incredibly grateful to the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust for this generous gift and for recognizing Habitat for Humanity’s proven model of creating and supporting homeownership for low-income households,” Brett D’Antonio, CEO, Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County. “This grant will increase the capacity of Homeowner Services to match Habitat SKC’s growing pipeline, while providing the ability to offer homeowner education classes, home maintenance classes, homeowner forms, application materials, and more via the new Homeowner Services portal.”
Habitat for Humanity SKC constructs affordable homes, revitalizes neighborhoods, repairs homes for low-income people and seniors, operates discount home improvement stores in Auburn, Southcenter and Bellevue, and mobilizes more than 4,500 volunteers a year. Currently, with a pipeline of 270+ homes in various phases of planning and construction, Habitat SKC is on track to surpass its ambitious goal of building and selling 1,000 cumulative housing solutions to low-income community members by 2025.
A five-fold increase in development activity since 2020 has presented the Homeowner Services team with certain challenges, including increased project management activities, a greater need for outreach to find new, eligible applicants and process those applications, the need for a more efficient purchase and education process for prospective and new homeowners, and an increased effort to track and support the expanding pool of current partner families.
D’Antonio continues, “One of the most important roles of our Homeowner Services team is to ensure our homeowners are engaged and stewarded through the program – not just in the beginning, when they buy a home, but through their entire experience as a life-long Habitat Homeowner. Our goal is not only to get people housed, but to keep them housed.”
The vision of all Habitat for Humanity affiliates around the world is “a world where everyone has a decent place to live.” Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County builds strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter – moving families out of vulnerable housing into homeownership, providing the opportunity for families to build equity and transition to the middle class. Through its proven model of creating and supporting homeownership for low-income households, Habitat SKC prepares families and communities for financial success and stability through programs that help individuals purchase, preserve, and stay in affordable homes.
More About M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust
M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, created by the will of the late Melvin J. (Jack) Murdock, provides grants to organizations in five states of the Pacific Northwest—Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington—that seek to strengthen the region’s educational and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways. www.murdocktrust.org