Guest blog by Julia Brauchle
Twin Cities Habitat Staff

Campus Chapters

School is back in session and that means Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapters are reconvening.  Campus Chapters are student-run clubs that support a Habitat affiliate through volunteering, fundraising, education and advocacy.  They help an affiliate reach a greater audience by spreading our mission through a college campus and student body.  Twin Cities Habitat is lucky enough to have three established Campus Chapters:  The University of Minnesota, Hamline University and Macalester College.  Each has an executive board of students that plans builds, hosts fundraising events and advocates for affordable housing on campus.  What do the chapters have planned for this year?  A LOT!

When John and his wife Linda take a look at their house now, they are amazed by the many improvements they see thanks to the repairs done by Twin Cities Habitat's A Brush With Kindness (ABWK) program.  

Picking and choosing what home projects to tackle and what will remain on the "to do" list, is a common struggle that many homeowners wrestle with. For Lasha and her family, that decision became even more critical, as they pursued insurance options for their home. After conversations with their insurance provider, it quickly became clear that priority number one for the family would have to be repairs to their roof.

This past week, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity celebrated its third annual Rainbow Build week, helping to build a home in South Minneapolis. Rainbow Build is one of Habitat's special build weeks that brings people together to not only build a home, but also learn about housing and issues impacting the the LGBTQ community.

Gwen is a longtime resident of Minneapolis. She and her husband Bruce love their home and their neighborhood. They have raised a family and continue to be caring neighbors in their community. They both plan (and hope) to stay in their home as long as possible.

By Julia Brauchle
Twin Cities Habitat Staff

Gustavus Adolphus Church in St. Paul has been partnering with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity since 1997.  They have built on numerous houses and supported each build financially.  Many of the congregation’s volunteers come back year after year and take time off work to be part of the church’s build week.  This year, Gustavus wanted to involve a new generation in their partnership with Twin Cities Habitat.

This past week, 47 volunteers came together to build a four-bedroom home in Minneapolis during our Global Village Gone Local  week. 

Generally, on the 2^nd Monday of the month the Women Build steering committee gets together to plan and discuss Women Build. The steering committee is made up of women from all walks of life who all come together to with one common goal – to empower women!   

Lyman Companies, a residential construction company, is the main supplier of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity (TCHFH) lumber. Since 1995, the partnership has flourish into donations of materials and labor to help build Habitat homes. This kind gesture continues today and TCHFH is grateful to welcome them for another year of building.

Every neighborhood matters and every neighborhood deserves to have strong internal and external partnerships that support it. Those beliefs are at the core of Twin Cities Habitat's Neighborhood Revitalization efforts, which were on display during the Jordan Week of Kindness in July.