Habitat San Antonio Blog

Habitat Partners with Councilman David Medina, Jr. and COSA to Break Ground on New Community

Habitat for Humanity San Antonio — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:21:16 GMT

From HFHSA President & CEO, Natalie Griffith

The Excitement is Building! On April 2, over 60 volunteer builders and 200 spectators came together to celebrate the announcement of our newest community, Morning Star Terrace. City of San Antonio staff and officials joined Habitat volunteers to build the first set of wall panels for an entire house! However, the real story for this exciting event is how it all came about.

This special project began with the growing concern of surrounding neighbors and our City government over a 2.5 acre site in District 5. Upset by the uselessness and blight of this property, the land contained deteriorated and abandoned commercial buildings. District 5 City Councilman David Medina, Jr. heard the complaints, and despite hitting dead end after dead end, never gave up on his search for a lasting solution.

Councilman Medina matched up Habitat's need for affordable land with his desire to resolve this neighborhood nuisance. He envisioned replacing the run down and blighted property with decent homes for hardworking families. Without the care and concern of Councilman David Medina, Jr., the impending transformation of this property would not be possible.

I also want to thank Mayor Castro and the entire City Council who voted unanimously to support this neighborhood revitalization effort. This development truly is a public-private partnership at its best! In addition to providing the infrastructure funding (with HOME funds from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD]), the City will be handling the environmental work, coordinating and managing the removal of the dilapidated buildings on the property. Once the infrastructure is in, businesses, churches, civic groups, and individuals in our community will come together through Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio to fund and build 14, decent, affordable single family homes for God's people in need.

Before we can build houses, we have to transform the site from what it is today, to cleared lots with functional residential infrastructure. This is quite an undertaking so I'd like to give special recognition to our Engineer, Rolando Briones, Jr., and the staff of Briones Engineering. They do an outstanding job of determining the feasibility of a site, then designing, estimating, and overseeing its development.

Habitat is a high maintenance client because we have high demands regarding quality and timeliness. Our projects have to be comprehensively designed up front, meaning the infrastructure plans can be built as drawn, within budget, and without any change orders. Those in the construction industry know how hard this is to accomplish, so it is noteworthy that Briones Engineering does this repeatedly, while always keeping the end user, our wonderful families, in the forefront of its mind. To stay connected to our families and our mission, Rolando Briones and his staff are also active supporters and volunteers for our program.

14 deserving families will eventually call this community-in-the-making home, joining the nearly 750 families that have already partnered with us in our organization's 36-year history. Morning Star Terrace is another step in the right direction to our end goal of eliminating poverty housing in San Antonio. Councilman Medina has said, "Habitat will be able to help provide fourteen hardworking San Antonio families with a roof over their heads and a brighter tomorrow where none may have existed before."

I invite you to be a part of this wonderful development by sponsoring our house building or participating as a volunteer. Further, our Family Services team has already begun taking applications for future home owners, so if you or someone you know is interested in decent and affordable homeownership, please contact our office or visit our web page to apply.

College Day is 'Fitting' for Habitat Site

Habitat for Humanity San Antonio — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:00:00 GMT

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 building hope. They are helping these families build a foundation for a better life full of opportunities for the future.

The benefits of homeownership are numerous and go far beyond just providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for our families. CLICK HERE to read more.

We applaud these families who are working to build a better life and the students and volunteers who are the heart of our organization.

To learn more about volunteering, CLICK HERE or call 210-223-5203.

By Shelly, Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio Staff

Volunteers "Take Our Breath Away"

Habitat for Humanity San Antonio — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:37:00 GMT

While sorting through some old photographs Friday in the Habitat office, I ran across this photo.

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 amaze me. More than 150 volunteers and 19 Habitat families braved the August heat to help build homes, and we had more than 200 come out on Saturday.

It is amazing to me that so many people will give up free time to work in the heat of the summer and the cold of the winter to help Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio continue its mission of eliminating substandard housing in San Antonio. I know that they join us in our belief that everyone deserves a simple, decent and affordable home.

If you have not volunteered for us I encourage you to do so and witness first-hand some of the moments that can take your breath away.

To volunteer, give us a call at 210-223-5203.

By Shelly, Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio Staff

We Need Volunteers

Habitat for Humanity San Antonio — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

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 what led them to HFHSA. I have also learned what a great need there is in San Antonio for affordable housing.

With that great need for affordable housing is also an URGENT NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS to help us build those homes. HFHSA will soon begin its newest community -- Coleman Ridge. We are still working to schedule enough volunteers to construct the 24 homes that are set to be built this year in the neighborhood at Old Pearsall Road and 410.

Fridays and Saturdays are currently our biggest need, but we also have weekday opportunities. Volunteering for a construction crew is not only rewarding, but is also a great way to learn about our organization and meet some of the families who benefit from our home ownership program. NO CONSTRUCTION EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY.

If you can, give Volunteer Services a call at 210-223-5203 to sign up. You can also email at sarah@habitatsa.com. We'd love to get you involved!!

Just to give you an idea of the mammoth number of volunteers we need: we need approximately 30 volunteers for each house under construction on each Friday and Saturday to keep our homes on schedule. For the Fridays and Saturdays in August alone, we need almost 500 volunteers per weekend to sign up to give us a hand.

We need YOU! To learn more about volunteering for HFHSA CLICK HERE.

If construction is not something that interests you, please consider being a lunch crew member. Lunch crews provide and serve lunches to our volunteers. For more information on our lunch crews CLICK HERE. Lunch crews are a great way to ease into volunteering with HFHSA with a minimal commitment of time.

We hope to hear from you soon.

By Shelly, Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio staff member

HFHSA Mourns the Loss of Our Co-Founder

Habitat for Humanity San Antonio — Fri, 27 May 2011 17:39:22 GMT

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 only to the volunteers and supporters who helped build them, but to the Lytles for putting their faith into action and finding a way to build simple, decent and affordable homes with very deserving families year after year.

Mr. Lytle was preceded in death by Faith, his late wife in April 2005. There will be a memorial service at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 12, at Madison Square Presbyterian Church.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Lytle family and friends. Rev. Lytle is a perfect example of what a truly remarkable person can do with nothing more than faith and a desire to help. We join you in mourning this incredible loss.

He will be dearly missed.

The Faces of Habitat

Habitat for Humanity San Antonio — Mon, 09 May 2011 14:21:25 GMT

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 and putting a roof over what will some day be the home of a well-deserving family. I'm watching more than houses pop up and line the streets of a new neighborhood.

What I've been watching are the many faces of Habitat that ultimately come together to make our mission of eliminating substandard housing in San Antonio possible. These are people from all walks of life and from varied backgrounds coming together for one common goal - making sure as many people as possible have a chance to own a simple, decent and affordable home.

I've seen the thousands of volunteers who give freely of their time to help build these homes; I've seen the hard-working families who are determined to "build" a better life; I'm watching a small group of very dedicated individuals who are committed to overseeing the operations of HFHSA and help make it run as smoothly as it does; and I'm also watching as local businesses, congregations, corporations and other groups join our efforts by manning our construction crews and also providing the funding necessary to build these Habitat homes.

In May's issue of our quarterly newsletter Vision we featured four of the "faces" of Habitat - a homeowner, a volunteer, a house sponsor and a HFHSA board member. Due to space limitations, we were only able to publish a portion of the Q&A. You can see the rest of their comments here. Please take a moment to read what they have to say. You'll find it truly inspiring.

And to the four people interviewed and to the thousands of others out there who have joined us in our efforts, our hats - or should I say hard hats - are off to you.

Thank you!

by Shelly, Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio Staff

Volunteers Make the World A Better Place

Habitat for Humanity San Antonio — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 10:41:18 GMT

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 should have to endure.� Through the work of our volunteers, more than 700 San Antonio families have been able to better their lives, pull themselves out of bad situations and move into their own, brand new Habitat homes.� To us, that's getting pretty close to perfect.

However, there is still so much to do.� By the end of this year, we will have built 55 more simple, decent and affordable Habitat homes. That brings our total to 737 in our 35-year history.� And, it's thanks to our volunteers - and they won't stop there.� There's no doubt in our minds that our volunteers and our community will continue supporting the mission and daunting task of HFHSA - to eliminate substandard housing in San Antonio.

With their help, we will finish 55 homes this year, 24 of which will be in a brand new community:� Coleman Ridge.� And, with the untiring help of our volunteers, will continue building next year and for many years to come.

We are blessed and have much to say THANK YOU for.� The world is not perfect, but our volunteers are!

To learn how to become a part of our amazing force of volunteers, CLICK HERE.� If you want to learn more about our mission, CLICK HERE, or register for one of our free HAB-I-TOURS.

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By Shelly, Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio Staff

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Dough for Habitat

Habitat for Humanity San Antonio — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 10:58:00 GMT

Don't forget�that�today and tomorrow (March 23 and 24),�Domino's Pizzas across the city are offering a large, one-topping pizza for only $5.99 (carryout only).� For every special pizza you order, Domino's will donate $1 to Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio.

What a deal -- you can�have some dough and some "dough" will be donated to help us build more simple, decent and affordable homes with families in need.

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We hope you enjoy some pizza.

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Thanks Domino's.

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We Need You!

Habitat for Humanity San Antonio — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:01:05 GMT

We don't just need you to support us financially. We don't just need you to man our construction sites and continue being the heart that keeps Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio in motion toward its mission of eliminating substandard housing in our community.

These things are tremendously important and make a huge impact on the lives of the families served by Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio. We continue to need you daily for these things.but also for so much more than that.

By volunteering you are helping hardworking families realize a dream - a dream of homeownership. You are helping families at an income level that without HFHSA, they would never be able to own a home of their own.

By volunteering you are doing more than building a house. You are building communities. You are building better lives. You are building a foundation that will help these families thrive.

And, right now.WE NEED YOU MORE THAN EVER. We have an URGENT need for volunteers on FRIDAYS throughout the month of February. By volunteering you will be helping us finish these homes on time so that the families who are already working on them and anxiously awaiting their completion can move in and continue realizing their dreams.

While we have Saturday and other weekday opportunities available, Fridays are our most urgent need. If you can volunteer, give us a call at 210-223-5203 or email sarah@habitatsa.org or volunteer@habitatsa.org. You will be glad you did.

What will you build?

By Shelly, Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio staff

Start the New Year with HFHSA

Habitat for Humanity San Antonio — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:01:56 GMT

It's 2011! Why not start the year out with us??

VOLUNTEER
Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio is currently in need of volunteers on Fridays and Saturday's throughout the month of January.

We have 12 homes under construction and without enough volunteers we won't be able to finish them on time. What a disappointment that would be to the families who are working so hard to make a better life for themselves.

To volunteer, call Volunteer Services at 210-223-5203 or contact them via email at sarah@habitatsa.org or volunteer@habitatsa.org.

You won't regret the decision to volunteer once you experience working alongside one of our families or our other volunteers. For more on volunteering, CLICK HERE.

TAKE A TOUR
If you aren't sure if volunteering for HFHSA is for you, attend one of our Hab-i-tours to learn more. This one-hour, guided bus tour will give you a unique look at what HFHSA is all about. You will learn about our history, our work, our families, our neighborhoods and the volunteers who make what we do possible.

The next tour is set for 1:00 p.m. Friday, January 21 and leaves from our office at 311 Probandt. It's free and only one hour. You can REGISTER HERE.

We hope to see you soon.

By Shelly, Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio staff

A Gift From the Heart Builds Houses

Habitat for Humanity San Antonio — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:52:44 GMT

It only seems like yesterday that I sat down to write this very same blog and again� the holidays are in full swing and Christmas is almost here!

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At Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio, we like to take a moment to remind you each year that we offer a great gift solution for that hard-to-buy-for-friend or family member, or for that special someone you just want to honor in a unique way.� We can also offer you an escape from the hustle and bustle of holiday season, giving you time to really sit down and remember what the season is all about.

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Rather than fighting the crowds to find that perfect gift for your loved one, why not make a donation in their honor to Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio? Then all you have to do is sit back and relax.� Habitat will take care of the rest! The recipient will receive a card notifying them of your donation in their honor.� Amounts are not disclosed.� You can also make a donation in memory of someone.

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And to top it all off, you both get the satisfaction of knowing that your gift from the heart will help us build a house!

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For more information, give us a call at 210-223-5203 or visit the�How to Donate section of our website.

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Don't forget, all donations made by December 31, will count in 2010.

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This year, we are very excited about another gift-giving opportunity.� We have partnered with GiftsthatGive.com.� They offer a wide range of unique gifts.� When you order from their website and choose us at checkout, we receive 20% of the merchandise price.� What a great way to shop and give back at the same time!

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We hope you'll check it out.� Remember, 20% of your total purchase will be donated to Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio when you select us at checkout.

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Happy holidays and happy gifting.�

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by Shelly,�Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio staff�

Yo Gabba Gabba Live! to Benefit HFHSA

Habitat for Humanity San Antonio — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 09:00:00 GMT

We are so excited about a live party coming to San Antonio! And better yet, part of the proceeds will benefit Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio and will help us continue to build simple, decent and affordable homes with families in need.

Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! will be at the Freeman Coliseum at 6 p.m. Thursday, December 9.

This is not only an exciting and entertaining show for your children, but $1 from every tickets sold will benefit Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio.

DJ Lance Rock and all his friends will bring the excitement of the popular Nick Jr. television show to life on stage for children to enjoy.

We are so excited to be a part of this exciting event. You can look for representatives from HFHSA as well to answer any Habitat questions you may have.

We hope you will be able to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity and at the same time help HFHSA continue its mission of eliminating substandard housing in our community.

For ticket information and more information about Yo Gabba Gabba live! CLICK HERE.

We hope to see you there.

We Are Thankful!!

Habitat for Humanity San Antonio — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

At this time of year, as we reflect upon all that we have to be thankful for,�we at Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio want you to know�how grateful we are�for you, our loyal supporters and partners of Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio.��

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Without our volunteers, sponsors and individual donors, the work of HFHSA could not happen.

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Because of you, 682 hardworking, low-income families in San Antonio will get to spend their holidays this year in the comfort and safety of their own simple, decent and affordable home.

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We are so blessed to have such a wonderful and supporting Habitat family.

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With Sincerest Thanks and Wishing You Happy Holidays.

Yo Gabba Gabba Live! to Benefit HFHSA

Habitat for Humanity San Antonio — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:54:36 GMT

We are so excited about a live party coming to San Antonio! And better yet, part of the proceeds will benefit Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio and will help us continue to build simple, decent and affordable homes with families in need.

Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! will be at the Freeman Coliseum at 6 p.m. Wednesday, December 9.

This is not only an exciting and entertaining show for your children, but $1 from every tickets sold will benefit Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio.

DJ Lance Rock and all his friends will bring the excitement of the popular Nick Jr. television show to life on stage for children to enjoy.

RSS Explained

Habitat for Humanity San Antonio — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 18:00:00 GMT

What is an RSS feed?

An RSS feed is, in essence, a direct line from your favorite websites to you. Most websites have news sections, product updates, blogs, and a lot of other daily, weekly, or even montly updated content. Keeping up with all your favorite sites can be tough, RSS feeds are the fix for that. Imagine you had 20 favorite websites and you wanted to check all their news and updates, but you knew you were going to be too busy with school or work that week and couldn't check them everyday. Instead of you having to go out and navigate to all of those websites and search for the content, an RSS feed sends the information directly to you. The RSS feed sends the information directly to your RSS reader and allows you to check all your favorite websites' updates in one convenient location, at your convenience. An RSS feed saves time, frustration, and puts all of your favorite websites' at your disposal in a convenient, clean, and uncluttered format.

What is an RSS reader and where do I get one?

An RSS reader is basically a filtering system for all your RSS feeds. All you do is sign up with one of the hundreds, if not thousands, of RSS readers that are available online, add your RSS Feed URLs, and you are ready to receive updated information from your favorite websites, without lifting another finger.

Some popular RSS readers:

What does an RSS feed mean to me?

Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio has a lot of news, events, and now a blog! All of this information can be streamlined directly to you. While we would love to have you back day in and day out, we realize that life gets busy and you don't always have time to visit your favorite sites. Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio offers RSS feeds for all of its blogs and updated news content. Just click the little RSS icon and copy the feed url into your favorite RSS reader so that we can keep you informed of all the new and exciting things going on with Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio

The video below is courtesy of,�The Common Craft Show, and gives a great plain english explanation of what RSS feeds and readers are, and the benefit/impact they can have on your everyday life.