Home Dedication Ceremony will take place Thursday, November 30
Los Angeles, CA — November 29, 2017: Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (Habitat LA) is pleased to announce the completion of six new, affordable homes on Ramona Street in the City of Bellflower. On Thursday, November 30, 2017, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., the Afemata, Gutierrez, Jimenez, Madrigal, Vargas, and Yates families will celebrate the completion of their homes during a dedication ceremony. During the event, attendees will hear from Habitat LA staff, partners, sponsors and partner homeowners who worked side-by-side to bring this new community to life.
For these families, the journey to homeownership included education workshops through Habitat LA’s Family Investment Program, as well as completing up to 500 hours of sweat equity building these homes. Each family will purchase their home with an affordable mortgage. This new Bellflower community includes six, two-story townhomes each with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. These homes also incorporate several green features including drought-tolerant landscaping, energy-efficient heating systems, insulation made from recycled content, low-flow plumbing fixtures and solar-ready systems.
“Our partner families have worked hard to achieve their dream of homeownership and will each be moving into an affordable and sustainable home,” said Erin Rank, President & CEO, Habitat LA. “We are proud to partner with these families and grateful to the sponsors and volunteers who helped make their dreams a reality. It’s especially thrilling to be welcoming them home during the holiday season!”
This project would not have been possible without the support of the City of Bellflower, Thrivent Financial, The Home Depot, Partnership Housing and the hundreds of volunteers who helped build the homes.
The City of Bellflower proudly partnered with Partnership Housing and Habitat LA on creating these new homes and generously provided a construction grant and loan to facilitate this project.
“My City Council colleagues and I were here with the Habitat LA staff partners, sponsors and partner homeowners for the groundbreaking of this project, and we are very excited to be a part of the Home Dedication Ceremony. We proudly support the work that Habitat for Humanity does in our community and are very excited for the new Bellflower Homeowners” said Bellflower Mayor, Ron Schnablegger. “Projects like this help families during the rapidly rising housing costs in Los Angeles County and Bellflower is honored to provide homes to our hardworking residents.”
Thrivent Financial awarded Habitat LA $150,000 to help build a home with Becky Afemata and her family. In addition to raising additional funds for the completion of the home, local Thrivent members volunteered to build the home alongside the family.
“We continue to be blessed with the partnership of these two wonderful companies,” says Geoff Delahanty, Wealth Advisor, Thrivent Financial and Habitat LA board member. “Being able to provide financial guidance to clients and see their dreams of living generous lives is a blessing. Especially when the generosity is towards Habitat for Humanity in the form of time, talent and treasures.”
The Home Depot Foundation has long championed its mission to improve the lives of veterans across the United States. In addition to supporting home repairs for veterans with Habitat LA, The Home Depot Foundation supported the Jimenez Family home with both funds and volunteer time. Giving back to veterans is personal to The Home Depot, as more than 35,000 of the company’s associates have served in the military. They are honored to give Jose and his family the hand up they needed to build a brighter future.
This project is part of Habitat LA’s Building a Greater Los Angeles campaign with a goal to invest $100 million by 2020 into revitalizing neighborhoods and increasing access to affordable homeownership opportunities. This investment will also help strengthen the local economy, creating healthier and more affordable homes for low-income families and individuals.
About Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (Habitat LA) brings people together to build homes, communities and hope. As the top nonprofit homebuilder in the greater Los Angeles area with six consecutive Charity Navigator 4-Star ratings, Habitat LA has partnered with volunteers, donors and Habitat homeowners to build, renovate and repair more than 1,300 homes locally and worldwide since 1990. The lives of thousands of individuals have been transformed as a result of having a decent and affordable place to call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes and pay an affordable mortgage. By supporting Habitat LA through volunteerism, donations and supporting affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the stability and self-reliance they need to build a better future. To learn more, visit habitatla.org.
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Contacts:
Yvonne Lara
Habitat LA
424-246-3187
ylara@habitatla.org
Angela Moore
Starfish P.R.
310-429-8868
angela@starfish-pr.com
