Friday, March 19, 2010, Jill Kilibarda, Civic Engagement Manager
This week, nine volunteers joined me on our first ever Habitat Immersion Retreat in the Twin Cities. Think of it like a Habitat Global Village trip or spring break service trip, but instead of traveling across the country or around the world, we stayed to support housing in our own backyards. Our goal was to get an in depth understanding of the local housing crisis and to explore creative solutions.
Sunday evening we gathered at the retreat center as strangers from different points in life – college students, people just starting their careers or making career transitions, and retirees. Yet quickly we realized how much we had in common. We were all concerned about the housing crisis and wanted to do something about it.
We spent Monday learning about the value of homeownership by working on a Habitat house at 610 29th Avenue North in Minneapolis. We were the first volunteer group to start rehabbing this home that had been vacated due to foreclosure. What better team-building experience than to tear off old stucco together?! Edgar, a future Habitat homeowner worked alongside of us doing his sweat equity hours. He told us about his struggles to afford housing on his salary as a veterinary technician at the U of M. I never ceased to be surprised that someone with a good job still can’t afford to buy a home in the Twin Cities.
Tuesday we participated in a Day in the Life Experience with St. Stephen’s Human Services, learning from people who have directly experienced homelessness. We met a man named David who just a few years ago had owned a comfortable home with his family in Minnetonka. His troubles started when he suffered an injury that led to huge medical bills. In an attempt to sell his house to avoid foreclosure, he fell victim to a predatory lender’s scam, lost his equity and found himself homeless. As one of our volunteers who lives in David’s old neighborhood put it, “It’s a sobering realization that this could happen to any one of us. This could happen to me.”
The final day of the retreat we headed to the State Capitol to advocate for better housing in our communities. This was a new experience for most of us and to be honest felt pretty scary. But we conquered our fears because we knew that building Habitat homes alone won’t solve this problem; we also need better housing laws and funding. We met personally with nine legislators who represent members of our group. They were so friendly and inviting and eager to talk about the importance of housing in our communities. What a powerful feeling to know that as a citizen in this democracy I really can talk directly with my law-makers and they really do care what I think. One volunteer summed it up by saying, “I was so nervous to come here and do this, but now I know they are just regular people.”
As I sit at my computer reflecting on the last week, I am inspired by all of the goodness I saw in everyone who is working together to build communities where everyone can afford to live. This is what I love most about working at Habitat.
matt haugen
