Truckee Meadows Habitat for Humanity was established in 1991 in the Reno/Sparks area. Our mission statement is seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, community and hope. Our vision is to create a world where everyone has a decent, safe and affordable place to live. Habitat for Humanity international was founded in 1976. Locally we’ve been building homes for families in need for 25 years and empowering our community with the opportunity of homeownership.
Our partner families must meet certain qualifications such as a maximum income based on the number of members of the household, having a steady income for the past two years, a credit history that must demonstrate a willingness to repay debts, and if they have filed for bankruptcy it must be discharged. More information about our qualifications can be found at our website www.HabitatforHumanityReno.org. If the family qualifies and are approved by our selection committee, they then need to complete 500 volunteer hours that we call “sweat equity” where they work alongside volunteers and other Habitat for Humanity homeowners. These hours will not be reimbursed financially and must be completed before a partner family can purchase and move into their home. Habitat for Humanity’s partner families are responsible for paying for the cost of their home. Homes are sold to the families, at no profit, and zero interest.
We are a hand up to our community not a hand out and we have partnered with some amazing families over the years in the Reno area.
One of the ways we are able to keep our homes affordable is that we have a ReStore, where we accept and sell new and used building materials. The store is operated with minimal staff, the help of volunteers, and is dependent upon donations from our community. We then use some of the donated materials at our build site, and the remainder we sell back to the public at pennies on the dollar for use in their homes and DIY projects. We accept working and unbroken items such as cabinets, stoves, lighting, hardware, windows and doors. A complete list of items we can accept is on our webpage. These materials would normally wind up in a landfill, even though they are still in working order. This helps the donor by providing tax deductions; prevents billions of pounds of useable products from sitting in our landfills; allows the public to buy great materials at affordable prices; providing Habitat for Humanity the financial resources needed to provide homes for local families.
Earlier this year, our ReStore relocated to 530 Greenbrae Dr. in Sparks, just off Pyramid Highway and Greenbrae Drive. Please note our Kuenzli location is no longer open for shopping or donations, to learn more about our new Restore follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/HabitatforHumanityReno.
In order to continue serving our community we need your help. We are always in need of volunteers if you have skills in construction or not. We work closely with our volunteers to teach them how to complete the day’s project if they have the experience previously or not. We use help at our build site, in our store, offices, and additionally with events and our twice annual mailing to the community. If you are interested in volunteering we can find something for anyone to do. To fill out a volunteer form please go to our website. Then, to schedule a time please contact our office manager at Habitat@HabitatforHumanityReno.org.
Without our community we would not be able provide housing to help the families of the area.
For more information, go to www.habitatforhumanityreno.org.
Julianna Jefferson is the marketing and events coordinator at Truckee Meadows Habitat for Humanity