Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

If you recently volunteered on a Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity construction site, chances are good that you have worked on a multi-unit home project.  Just three years ago, 65 percent of TCHFH’s construction involved single family homes.  Today, almost 65 percent are multi-unit.

While this type of development often brings complexities, it also offers an opportunity to unite the community for the common goal of providing decent affordable housing.  “This is really about giving     families homeownership opportunities, and doing that in a way that is cost effective and makes financial sense for the organization as well as for the families we serve,” said Andy Barnett, construction field    supervisor for TCHFH.

On the construction team for TCHFH for the past eight years, Barnett has experienced the changing build model first hand.  “It’s been challenging to get used to the scale of the projects.  There’s a lot more that goes into getting a site established and ready to accept volunteer crews.  We’re also building more complex designs.”

When the number of homes multiplies, there’s an increased likelihood that multiple sponsors and volunteer groups will be working simultaneously.  It is not uncommon for corporate groups to work alongside congregations, civic, youth and school groups. 

“Folks get a chance to see how other people engage.  You see people out here with their company, and they are working alongside a church group, and they say ‘oh, I can get my church involved with Habitat.’ And then folks that are out here with their congregations see corporations involved, and they come and ask me how they can organize their office to volunteer,” said Barnett.

The sheer volume of labor also offers the volunteer experience several benefits.  Each morning, Barnett gathers all volunteer groups together, regardless of the particular home they are sponsoring.  In order to utilize volunteers more efficiently, and ensure that everyone feels useful and productive, Barnett often matches skilled volunteers from one group with unskilled volunteers in another group.

“You really get the chance to make sure that people are assigned to a job that they are comfortable with according to their skill level and the experience that they are looking for onsite,” said Barnett.

Multi-unit housing construction projects have also provided families with an opportunity to meet and bond with their future neighbors even before they move into their homes. 

“One of the real treats of working on a multi-unit site as a volunteer is the access to homebuyers. You have a pretty good chance that one of the families is onsite most of the time during the build,” said Barnett.

For some volunteer groups that have worked with Habitat over the years, giving up the feeling of “ownership” that comes with sponsoring a single family home is a tough transition to make.  Barnett’s response?  “You now have a stake as a volunteer group, and as a house sponsor, in a larger build project, and a larger community that is really changing the face of housing in the Twin Cities.”