A Single Hope for a Single Parent

Every single parent has hopes of providing a safe environment for their children -- hope which eluded me as a newly divorced mother of three children. I was living paycheck-to-paycheck and struggling just to buy gas for my drive to a minimum-wage paying job. When I was introduced to the Peninsula Habitat for Humanity housing program, I assumed my chances of obtaining a dwelling were slim to almost none. Two years and 500 "sweat equity" hours later, I was, alas, a homeowner.

Having a home for my children and I empowered me. We began to thrive physically, mentally and monetarily.

Physically, because we performed 500 sweat hours and had the knowledge to keep our new home maintained and maintenance free.

Mentally, because we achieved a goal together as a family unit.

Monetarily, because our down payment was paid in sweat equity rather than cash we did not have due to our financial status

Ownership went beyond our four walls. It empowered me to strive for success outside of the home. If I could build a house, I could build and secure a stronger future. Ten years and several promotions later, I went from a junior secretary position to senior management.

As I reflect fondly on our years at Gloria Way, I smile and always utter three simple words "I did it." In the span of ownership with community involvement, financial guidance and an abundance of courses, I was no longer living check-to-check. I continually remain focused and humbled by the gift bestowed upon my family: pride of ownership.

I encourage each family to empower themselves. Stay vigilant, remain focused and above all know that your dreams are obtainable and achievable.

Habitat will give you that hand up, not a hand out.

Respectfully Submitted,

Tonya (Alexander) Connolly and Family

Peninsula Habitat exists to build homes and futures for families who pour their hearts and souls (and sweat) into a home they thought they'd never have. Alongside them, volunteers wield power tools, paint brushes, and help also to build those homes and futures.

But if you came to Peninsula Habitat last summer, you might have met some very unique volunteers. At first glance, they're just a group of fifteen boys with matching "Camp Glenwood" t-shirts, out for a day of community service.

These boys were different. They came to build a house, yes, but there was more to it. If they weren't there, they may have been on the streets, surrounded by drugs and gangs and places where cutting class was far too easy, where stealing was a thrill.

It was the stealing, among other things that had landed them in Camp Glenwood. Camp Glenwood is an alternative to incarceration for high-risk, male, juvenile offenders. As part of their time, anyone between the ages of 16-18 can apply to work for Peninsula Habitat, and they can learn how to build.

The boys at Camp Glenwood gaze into the future as young men are apt to do. In that haze of uncertainty, they do know one thing: that they are only employable in the mighty task force of burger flippers and shelf-stockers. Until, that is, Peninsula Habitat welcomes them.

Marcus Clifford, group director for Camp Glenwood said that their partnership with Peninsula Habitat is "a match made in heaven. For the first time these kids are able to give back to the community, and to be included there."

This past summer, the Glenwood boys worked on the South San Francisco and Brisbane sites, putting in three full days a week for seven weeks and totaling 3200 collective hours.

It was building, but it was education too. Phil Hubbell, who works at Camp Glenwood and co-founded the partnership with retired Glenwood teacher, John Woodhall, explains, "They ask 'What am I gonna do with my life? Work at a Kmart or Burger King?' They don't see that as a way out. But construction work they see that they can actually learn something and make some good money. The skills are real life skills."

Clifford adds that they're also gleaning less tangible benefits. "The skills that these guys learn on the job site…can help them for the rest of their life, whether they figure it out now or five years down the road," said Clifford. "They learned patience. Not everything goes their way, and they have to try over and over and over again."

Clifford also describes how the boys learn teamwork. When Dawn Adams, Site Building Manager for Peninsula Habitat, tells the boys they have to sheetrock a whole room by the end of the day, they have to work together to get it done.

"The kids eventually grasp what Habitat is doing. They're a little overwhelmed when we first start talking about it. We tell them 'Hey, these are people who there's no way they could afford this house if Habitat wasn't building it for them.'" said Hubbell.

The work reveals hidden facets of each individual. One boy, outwardly lazy and difficult to work with, proved that once he got his hands on a project, that he was capable of excellent work. Another boy whose father had taught him how to lay cement, discovered how to lead a small team in pouring a patio and walkway. And even the boys who Clifford describes as not "very good at much" learned how to apply themselves to doing sheetrock and even siding.

Woodhall, 66, has returned for the past six years for the Camp Glenwood summer program at Peninsula Habitat, where he is a long-time volunteer, to teach the boys about discipline, citizenship, and love. He asks the boys to give their best, and he always gets results. Under his urging, a hard day of work can complete a task that might normally take a week.

"I don't let them get away with stuff that kids do when they're punks, they'll harass people and all that" said Woodhall, then added "at the end of the program you see that the kids have learned to care about each other."

Camp Glenwood boys may have been ordered there by the court, but after that it's up to them. Some of them leave Camp Glenwood, only to return months later. None leave untouched.

"A lot of them lost their childhoods. They became adults very early, but Habitat can bring it back out of them and give them an appreciation for something they never knew existed," said Hubbell. "Habitat opens their heart and their doors. Thank you for giving these kids a chance."

World Habitat Day was recently observed at the United Nations and is a vital reminder that poverty housing is not just the plight of distant third-world countries, but is also a very real issue right here, right now in our own backyards. We may not always see substandard, overcrowded, or unsafe living conditions, but it is never far away.

The gap between the "haves" and "have nots" is especially acute in California because of the tremendous income growth at the top end and the high cost of living. The wealthiest continue to gain capital and the poorest continue to lose purchasing power with wages that barely keep pace with inflation. According to a recent report from the California Budget Project entitled A Generation of Widening Inequality: The State of Working California, 1979 to 2006, it is estimated that from 1999 to 2005, 43.1 percent of California's job growth occurred among jobs at the lowest 20 percent of the pay scale (less than $11 an hour) and the hourly pay of low-wage workers fell by 7.2 percent after adjusting for inflation. Approximately 2 million of the state's working families have incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty line - a level of income that falls short of providing an adequate standard of living - even though they have earnings from work.

With less than 20 percent of the people in San Mateo County able to afford a first-time home,* it's no wonder that demand for Peninsula Habitat homes is on the rise. Recently, we celebrated our 100th Peninsula Habitat home at a dedication in Brisbane (see related story), but it is already in our rear-view mirror as we race ahead with new projects in the pipeline, including South San Francisco, Redwood City (see related story), Daly City and Menlo Park. In fact, we reached the 100th home milestone in 18 years, but expect to finish the next 50 homes in less than half that time. This is good news for local low-income families who are unable to find or qualify for affordable housing otherwise.

We are committed to giving very low-income families a chance at homeownership. Peninsula Habitat families are able to purchase a Habitat home with an affordable zero-interest mortgage and no down-payment. In return, they invest 500 hours of "sweat equity" to build their own homes. Many often tell us they are proud and empowered to be part of a program that offers a hand up, not a hand out.

"This means so much to us to have a place that we can call home now and for years to come," said Stacy Ball-Weaver, South San Francisco candidate homeowner. "We don't have to worry about landlords selling from under us and raising our rent to force us out, or just live in uncertain month-to-month situations that can be scary and expensive."
Striving for a community and world where everyone enjoys the dignity that a decent home affords continues to inspire the work we do at Peninsula Habitat.

* California Association of Realtors

Each year, Peninsula Habitat for Humanity welcomes a new group of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA members who become an integral part of our team, both on the construction site and in the office. AmeriCorps members donate a year of service, or a total of 1,700 hours, as part of a national community service program to meet critical local needs. AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) members work on programs that help to bring low-income individuals and communities out of poverty.

For Peninsula Habitat, AmeriCorps members play an important role on the construction site and help to facilitate our community volunteer program - together, the AmeriCorps and volunteers provide more than 90 percent of the labor needed to build a Peninsula Habitat house. AmeriCorps serve as team leaders, trainers, and supervisors on the work site. Through their efforts and service, we can work with more volunteers - up to 6,000 annually - safely and efficiently, and produce a greater number of homes for low-income families on the Peninsula.

AmeriCorps also help Peninsula Habitat garner community interest and participation at all levels, acting as our ambassadors to the community. This year's team includes: Bradley Allen, Erin Beeson, Danny Carratala, Chadrick Eakin, Derek Johnson, Justine Marr, Jonelle McConnell, Natalie Petrini, and Brandy Walker. Their skills, time, and enthusiasm are invaluable to helping Peninsula Habitat build affordable housing for local families. AmeriCorps VISTA members are typically assigned to the office, working in crucial areas such as homeowner relations or real estate development. This year, Peninsula Habitat has two AmeriCorps VISTA members, including Andrew Slaton, who will finish his one-year term in January 2008, and Jonelle McConnell.

FAMILY HOLIDAY PARTY - VOLUNTEERS AND RAFFLE PRIZES NEEDED!
Peninsula Habitat welcomes volunteers and contributions for its annual family holiday party on Saturday, December 8, from 1-4 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Palo Alto. Volunteers are needed for set-up, clean-up, food and beverage service, gift wrapping, raffle drawings and to assist with children's activities such as art projects, piñatas, and games. Peninsula Habitat is also accepting contributions of food, drinks, desserts and party supplies (including tablecloths, decorations, plates, cups, napkins, etc.). Raffle prizes such as household items, children's toys, and furniture are also appreciated. These items may be new or in good condition. To volunteer, make a contribution or for more information, please contact Jonelle McConnell at jmcconnell@peninsulahabitat.org.

YOUTH PROGRAMS
Peninsula Habitat encourages youth involvement to help solve the housing crisis on the Peninsula. Although you must be 16 years of age to work in construction, there are many other ways for youth to get involved. Check out our Youth Programs webpage for some ideas. Here are two inspiring examples:

Emma Heiberger celebrated her fifth birthday on October 16th like many other children, but with one big difference: friends and classmates from Brittan Acres School in San Carlos were asked to donate money to Peninsula Habitat for Humanity in lieu of bringing gifts to her birthday party. A very proud Emma presented Peninsula Habitat with cash and checks totaling $350.00. "We are very fortunate to be living as well as we do and it's nice to be able to share with those who aren't as fortunate as we are," said her grandmother, Brenda Alger.





Peninsula Habitat Executive Director Mary Boughton and Director of Development Barbara Evans thank Emma Heiberger for her gift




As part of the community service project for her upcoming Bat Mitzvah, 12-year-old Sophia Cross provided lunch for all of the volunteers and crew members at Peninsula Habitat's South San Francisco site on October 6. Bat Mitzvah is a ceremony that marks a young Jewish girl's passage to adulthood, with the community service project demonstrating that she can handle the responsibility by giving back to others. With support from Costco and Lunardi's, which helped cover the cost of the food and beverages, Sophia prepared a lunch of homemade sandwiches, cookies, fruit, chips and water. She and her family and friends served the meal following a brief speech from Sophia to the assembled volunteers and crew (right). Sophia is a member of Peninsula Temple Beth El in San Mateo.

OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AT PENINSULA HABITAT Many other opportunities are available in the office at Peninsula Habitat, including as a volunteer receptionist, notary public, community outreach volunteer, loan document coordinator, web programmer, photographer, copy writer, and grants committee member. For more information about volunteer opportunities at Peninsula Habitat, click here.

Come join Stanford Habitat for Humanity's annual "Home Run" race on Sunday, November 11th and show your support for local affordable housing! Walk or run the 5K or 10K course on the beautiful Stanford University Campus while helping to raise critical funds for Peninsula Habitat, Silicon Valley Habitat, and Global Partners for Development, which aims to end poverty and hunger in Eastern Africa. Over the years, Stanford Habitat's Home Run race has raised close to $200,000 for these causes. Register today and help Stanford Habitat for Humanity reach its goal of more than 1000 race participants.

For more information or to register, go to www.stanford.edu/group/habitat/.