Annual Report: Fiscal Year 2023

AnnualReport FiscalYear2023

Building together to create a community where all feel they belong

Theyearinreview

a note from Executive Director, Kahya Fox

WEARETEAMHABITAT

As housing costs skyrocket, our mission is more important than ever. Our expert and caring staff, Board members, and volunteers work hard so that every family can have a decent, safe, and affordable place to call home.

The past year has been a year of “firsts.” With unprecedented organizational growth and increasing inequality, we come together to affirm a greater commitment to serving the housing needs of our community.

We continue to help more and more families achieve the dream of homeownership. With a record-breaking twelve homes under construction at one time, our Homeownership Program has grown our staff, added modular housing as an affordable new option, started building our second Habitat for Heroes home, and built our first fully solar home in Arcadia.

Our ReClaim Program had a record year, with more projects, more materials diverted from the landfill, and two full-time staff.

We also added two new programs. The RePair Program boasts four full-time staff providing income-eligible and market rate repairs for homeowners.

Our new Sustainability Department is creating new programs and opportunities to integrate neighborhood revitalization, energy efficiency, and smart land-use into everything we do.

After adding Monroe County to our service region, we changed our name to reflect our expanded service area. We are now officially Habitat for Humanity of the Greater La Crosse Region. With our reach, new programs, and new staff, we are committed to sharing the stories and the impact of the important work we do.

This has been an exciting year at Habitat for Humanity. Thank you to our staff, board, volunteers, and donors for all your hard work and support!

-Kahya

Providingmorefamilies withaplacetocallhome

Six years ago, Habitat built an average of 0.75 homes per year. These days, our rate of production is higher than ever, meaning more safe and affordable homes for our neighbors.

5homes completed 7homesin progress

Featuredhomeowner:DarshidaMorgan

After years of hard work, Darshida and her family moved into their home in West Salem in summer 2023 The Morgan family lived in substandard housing prior to purchasing their Habitat house They dealt with mold, leaks, plumbing backups, and rodents

In the face of endless obstacles, Darshida never gave up her dream of becoming a homeowner and creating a stable place for her kids She began working through the Finding Home program at Marine Credit Union Foundation. Step by step, she improved her credit, learned about homeownership, and paid off debt.

Darshida’s four beloved sons - Jaylon, Jordan, Johnathan, and Jayce – are her primary motivation for becoming a homeowner. In her own words, “It would mean the world to me to finally own a home that my kids can grow up in. Not a first home, but a forever home. To be able to show my children where hard work and dedication will get them is my pleasure.”

Wearepoweredbypeople

19,645 total volunteer hours

976 individual volunteers

8,744 ReStore volunteer hours

7,063 Construction volunteer hours

544 ReClaim volunteer hours

At Habitat, our volunteers are essential to our success They raise walls and rehab houses They receive donations and keep the ReStore operating smoothly Our volunteer program continues to grow and improve, attracting energetic, talented individuals and groups from all corners of our five-county service region

“Itissonicetovolunteerfor anorganizationthatisnot onlyfocusedonitsmission butisalsofocusedonhelping thevolunteerstobethebest andhappiestthattheycan be.Waytogo!”

Newfaces,newplaces

Last year, Habitat of the Greater La Crosse Region added Monroe County to its service area, bringing its reach to five counties in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Monroe County was previously served by Monroe County Habitat for Humanity, which has since dissolved.

With the addition of Monroe County, Habitat added existing mortgages to its portfolio and acquired a lot on Juneau Street in Tomah (pictured left). The lot is the future site of our next Habitat for Heroes Veteran Home.

To keep up with the growing service region, demand for services, and need for affordable housing, Habitat nearly doubled its staff size. Habitat is proud to be an attractive place to work for professionals at all levels of their career.

BytheendofFY23,Habitat employed25full-timestaff workingthroughouta 5-countyserviceregion

Record-breakingReStore

A new approach to nonprofit retail, combined with the energy of a growing cadre of regular volunteers, led to an unprecedented year at the Habitat ReStore.

$766,587 revenue

11.5%overFY22

7.7%overbudget

1,148,185 pounds materialdiverted fromthelandfill

This year, the ReStore boasted record sales and donations, driven by monthly promotions, fresh signage, and more engaging social media presence.

The ReStore rebounded from the Covid-19 pandemic closures with more engaged volunteers and more enthusiastic shoppers.

Our sales directly support Habitat’s core homeownership program. With increased income from ReStore sales, we are able to provide more families with a safe, affordable home

What’s next for the ReStore? We have big dreams of an expanded space where we can better serve the public, as well as creating an ecommerce platform. We hope to make our low-cost, high-quality products available to more and more people.

29,482 transactions

6,252 donations

141,947 itemssold

ReClaim

Habitat ReClaim salvages materials from buildings about to be remodeled or demolished. We save property owners money on disposal fees, divert material from the landfill, and bring items to the ReStore for resale, where all profits support Habitat’s mission.

17 completed projects

144,355 estimated weight diverted (lbs)

$95,864 total value

Newprogramhighlight:RePair

In April 2023, Habitat launched the RePair Program Our response to critical shortage of available, affordable services, RePair focuses on emergency repairs, accessibility upgrades, and code violations

Habitat offers zero interest loans for income eligible participants, as well as market rate services for homeowners of any income level Within the first three months of the program we:

hired4newstaff

fielded20projectrequests completed6projects

Healthy,sustainable communitiesforall

That’s our vision We aim to create ample, quality housing options and healthy, sustainable communities for all At Habitat, care for our environment and neighborhoods goes hand-in-hand with affordable housing In FY23, we established a standalone Sustainability Department - a firm commitment to caring for the environment both in our community programs and our internal business practices

Sustainability Department

We believe that caring for the environment goes hand-in-hand with building quality housing Our Sustainability Department offers expertise, build partnership and guides internal practices to boost sustainability in all we do.

Renewableenergy

We run on the sun! Our ReStore building, which houses all Habitat offices, has been powered by solar energy since 2020 In FY23, we generated 74 MWh, enough to power our building and more We also began construction on our first solar home in Arcadia, WI.

equivalent of 219 planted 14 5 tons of CO2 saved

NeighborsDay

Neighbors Day is an annual, community-wide event to help our neighbors get their yards ready for spring This year, we exceeded expectations with over 500 volunteers helping over 200 households

Thankyou

We couldn’t do this critical work without the support of our community Thank you to our donors, sponsors, volunteers, and partners for sharing in our mission

Together, we can create a community where all feel they belong