Habitat Blog

Tomorrow is College Day at Coleman Ridge.

More than 150 college students from the University of Texas at San Antonio, St. Mary’s University, San Antonio College, Our Lady of the Lake University and Trinity University will gather to help us build homes with families in need.

We have always had tremendous support from our area schools, colleges and universities, but we are really excited to have so many students on site at one time.

What a perfect way to continue our work and a unique way to emphasize the benefits of home ownership.

Did you know that children of homeowners are 116% more likely to graduate from college than children of renters? We think that is amazing and how fitting to have college students help build homes in partnership with our families.

The students – and all of our volunteers – are doing more than just building homes.  They are ...

We want to say thank you again to all the wonderful volunteers and supporters who helped make sure that 737 families in San Antonio were able to celebrate the holidays in simple, decent and affordable homes of their own.

At Habitat for Humanity for Humanity of San Antonio we are anxious to get back to work in our newest community, Coleman Ridge, but we can’t do it without you.

We are signing up volunteers now.  If you can help, drop us an email now with your contact information, which day you’d like to work and number of possible volunteers and we’ll confirm with you.  Volunteers are urgently needed on Fridays, January 13, 20 and 27.

Again, THANK YOU for your continued support.  Volunteers are the heart of our organization. 

We hope your holiday season was wonderful and we can’t wait to work with you in 2012.

by Shelly, Habitat for ...

Today is the last day to donate to Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio in 2011. 

We are in urgent need of your support now more than ever.  There are hardworking families right here in San Antonio in desperate need of a decent place to live.   And, it’s not too late to lend your support in 2011.

If you give TODAY, your contribution will help us complete homes already under construction and prepare for more homes in the new year.  We can’t do it without you.

You can donate online right now through our secure servers and you will receive a tax deduction (to the extent allowable by law) for 2011.

Remember, because of the success of our Home Centers, 100% of your donation will go to build homes.  If you have already given us your support – again, thank you.

THANK YOU for your continued support.  If you ...

Wow!  The year is almost over and we at Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio are preparing to take a short break to celebrate the holidays with our families.

We’d like to take a moment to say thank you to our thousands of volunteers and supporters who help make what we do possible.  Because of YOU 737 families will celebrate Christmas in a home of their own.  We cannot say THANK YOU enough times and in enough ways to truly express how grateful and blessed we are.

Although our offices will be closed through January 2, it’s not too late to help ensure more families are able to have a chance at homeownership.

We are actually in urgent need of your support now more than ever.  There are hardworking families right here in San Antonio in desperate need of a decent place to live.   And, it’s not too late to ...

Who said write-in ballots are only for politics?

Walmart is getting in the spirit of the holidays and is empowering Facebook users to write in – or nominate – local nonprofits to receive part of $1.5 million in grants this holiday season. Through its “12 Days of Giving” campaign, the company will accept submissions via Facebook with an eye for local organizations that are providing basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing and baby supplies.

We think this is a perfect fit for us as we are providing not only simple, decent and affordable homes to families in need, but our affordable mortgages allow our Habitat families to focus more of their resources on the basic necessities in life.

Our supporters can help us by visiting Walmart’s Facebook page to nominate us for the “12 Days of Giving.”   The only catch is, we only have until November 30 so please ...

I don’t know who took it, who is in it or even when it was taken.

What did strike me is the wording written on the top of the window frame –

Life is not measured by the number of “breaths” you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.

I’ve heard and seen this quote many times. I’ve seen it attributed to many people ranging from Maya Angelou to George Carlin to a greeting card company. I’ve even used it as a caption under photos of my children in scrapbooks, but on this day it really hit home.

It hit home because on Friday I had just left the construction site of our newest subdivision. The commitment of our families and the dedication of our volunteers and supporters never cease to ...

Long before I worked for Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio (HFHSA), I was a volunteer. 

Through the years I have volunteered for Habitat for Humanity with various organizations.  When I picked up that hammer or that paint brush, I did so knowing I was doing something good; knowing that I would be helping a family achieve their dreams; and knowing that I could be helping a small child who may have not yet have known the security of living in a safe and comfortable home.

For me, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity was very rewarding and fun.  Now that I work for the San Antonio affiliate, it means so much more to me.  I have had the pleasure of getting to know many of families who come to HFHSA seeking a way to better their lives.  I have a so much better appreciation for their hard work and for ...

The staff of Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio was saddened today to learn of the death of our co-founder and beloved supporter – Bill Lytle.

 

Along with his late wife, Faith, Rev. Lytle brought the idea of partnership housing to San Antonio. Together they founded and put Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio on the map in 1976, making it the first affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International in the United States. It was through the Lytles concern and commitment to our community that HFHSA began its mission of eliminating substandard housing in San Antonio.

 

Since that time, HFHSA has worked with thousands of volunteers and supporters to build more than 700 homes in our community and is one of the largest producers of new Habitat homes in the nation. There are more than 700 hardworking families in need who owe their lives in their Habitat homes not ...

In this month's issue of Vision, the quarterly newsletter of Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio, we brought back a feature that proved to be popular in last year's may newsletter -- The Faces of Habitat.  In turn, we've made this a regular feature of our website.

Also worth bringing back was the blog that announced the new feature.  Use the link at the end of the blog of access the 2011 "Faces of Habitat."  Read on:

Throughout my employment with Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio I have watched as a neighborhood in our Palo Alto community has taken shape and as lives have been changed by something I’m sure many of us have taken for granted -- owning a home.

As I’ve watched, I’ve realized I’m seeing more than people purchasing and moving into a home. I’m seeing more than construction crews laying foundations, raising walls ...

It’s National Volunteer Week and we cannot let the week go by without giving a big THANK YOU to the thousands of volunteers that make the work of Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio possible.

We cannot express enough – not just this week, but all year long – our gratitude to the wonderful people who give of their time and money to help build homes with families in need in our community.  YOU make a tremendous impact on the lives of many.

I was revisiting a few past blog posts and ran across this one, where we explored the “what if’s” of a perfect world and making the world a better place.

The reality is the world is not a perfect place.  But our volunteers are making great efforts to make it that way!

There are families right here in San Antonio living in conditions that no one ...