Northwest Michigan Habitat for Humanity Wins Affiliate of the Year Award
November 9th, 2022 – Petoskey, MI – Northwest Michigan Habitat for Humanity has been recognized as Affiliate of the Year for their innovation and bold response to the housing crisis in Northern Michigan. Since 1990, NMHFH has been building safe and affordable homes across Emmet and Charlevoix Counties. Over the last 32 years, they have served over 60 families through affordable homeownership opportunities and home repairs. The local affiliate has recently launched the biggest building campaign in their history and was selected for the award out of 48 Habitat affiliates within Michigan.
The Affiliate of the Year Award is given to chapters whose accomplishments work to advance the mission of Habitat for Humanity. NMHFH was selected for the award due to their innovation in using modular homes to help them build safe and affordable housing faster than the traditional stick-built method. NMHFH launched a pilot modular-build program in 2020, utilizing the new construction method to build four new homes on property donated to them in Oden by the Emmet County Land Bank Authority. Once delivered to the building sites, the modular homes were completed by Habitat staff, volunteers, and Program Partners. All four Oden homes have since been purchased by Habitat Partners. This success allowed NMHFH to launch the Foundations for our Future campaign, through which they aim to build 43 new residential homes by 2025. “It’s an incredible campaign, but it’s not enough to just be building homes” says Sarah Ulrich, Executive Director at Northwest Michigan Habitat for Humanity, “it’s also important that the homes are built well. By ensuring that the modulars meet our high energy efficiency standards and are built to be ADA compliant, we build housing that will be affordable and sustainable for our partners throughout the life of the home.
NMHFH has raised almost 60% of the $5 million dollars needed for the Foundations for our Future campaign. By reaching their fundraising goal, NMHFH will be able to permanently increase their builds from 3-4 homes per year to twelve or more. “This campaign is an investment in our community, not just for our program partners but for the future of our schools, workforce, and businesses.” Says Ulrich. “This is the first time in our organization’s history that we have been recognized for this award, and I think it goes to show how hard our team has been working to adapt to the changes in the construction industry while continuing to provide our community with affordable housing options.”
Northwest Michigan Habitat for Humanity will share the Affiliate of the Year award with their colleagues at Macomb County Habitat, who were also recognized for their work in housing. To learn more about the Foundations for our Future campaign and how you can get involved visit www.northwestmihabitat.org.