Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties achieved major milestone, building and dedicating their 1,500th home. A special dedication ceremony was held to commemorate the event and celebrate with the Habitat homebuyer, home sponsor Chico’s FAS, Inc., Habitat Board Members, donors, and volunteers. During the ceremony the house keys were handed over to the Habitat homebuyer, Yacnima, officially achieving her own milestone by providing a home for her and her two boys, ages 10 and 14. Yacnima earned and purchased her Habitat home. She completed 300 hours of sweat equity, attended financial literacy and home maintenance classes, paid $1,700 in closing cost, signed her mortgage, and will pay an affordable, monthly mortgage payment.
Habitat’s 1,500th home is significant as it symbolizes that 1,500 families have partnered with Habitat to earn and purchase a safe and decent place to call home. Over 3,500 people now have stable housing, improved health, and the opportunity to budget and save for other needs.
Habitat started as a grassroots effort in 1980, building single family homes as a response to the deplorable living conditions in the Harlem Heights community. Officially becoming a Habitat for Humanity affiliate in 1982, the local office has become one of the largest in the country. In the past 35 years, 176 Habitat homebuyers have paid off their mortgages, 746 families have received homeownership counseling, and over 80,000 people have volunteered with Habitat in Lee and Hendry counties.
Since 2001, Chico’s FAS has partnered with Habitat and worked alongside families to build strength and stability through shelter. The 1,500th Habitat home is also a major milestone for Chico’s FAS as it is the 41st home they have sponsored.
“We are very proud to dedicate our 41st Chico’s FAS home in Southwest Florida. This year alone, our associates spent more than 400 hours volunteering to build and renovate Habitat homes for women and their families so they can have safe and affordable housing. Chico’s FAS is committed to giving back, and it’s exciting to be part of something so impactful in our community,” says Shelley Broader, President and Chief Executive Officer for Chico’s FAS, Inc.
Offering a hand up, Habitat and Chico’s FAS are making the dream of homeownership a reality for families in Lee and Hendry Counties.
