A Message from Habitat Board Chair Paul Delahunt

Guest blog by Paul Delahunt
Chair, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors

I want to start by simply saying thank you to all the supporters, volunteers, and donors to Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity for believing in our mission to expand affordable homeownership and advance racial equity right here in the metro area we call home. Homeownership really changes lives and has a generational impact on everything that matters most: from health and education to family stability and wealth building. Your support for Habitat is truly a 'force multiplier' which is what makes it so important.

Paul Delahunt at the fall 2023 Habitat Home Celebration.

My own connection to Twin Cities Habitat began many years ago as an employee at Andersen Corporation. Andersen has had a long tradition of supporting Twin Cities Habitat and other Habitat affiliates in markets where our employees live and work. Over the years, Andersen (and related entities) has contributed millions of dollars, thousands of windows (as in-kind gifts), and countless volunteer hours by its employees to Habitat.

I first got to volunteer on several local builds as an Andersen employee. As President of Renewal by Andersen, I arranged for my leadership team and other employees to spend several days volunteering on Habitat job sites. Those days turned out to be great team-building events for our folks and helped us develop a culture of giving back that is still going strong today. Andersen has always had a representative on the Twin Cities Habitat board and I was blessed to assume that role seven years ago.

The changes and innovation that I have witnessed at Twin Cities Habitat over the past several years have been profound:

• the lending partnership with Bremer Bank leading to more families in homes sooner via open market purchases;
• the focus on advancing racial equity;
• the establishment of a Special Purpose Credit Program targeted at Foundational Black Families;
• the elimination of the 'sweat equity' requirement which was creating obstacles for many potential homeowners;
• the launching of our largest ever fund-raising campaign, the $80 million Build Forward Together campaign which is in full swing.
• ...the list goes on!

In 2023, I finally got to participate in my first Habitat Global Village Trip. Twelve volunteers from the Twin Cities – including our fearless staff members Chris Coleman, Kate Loe, and Noah Keller – spent a week in the Dominican Republic participating in a program called "100,000 Floors to Play On." I learned how Habitat adapts its programs depending on the needs of the local people. Instead of building homes, we worked on existing homes with dirt floors. We replaced the dirt floors with concrete floors that were cleaner and safer for the families and especially for the kids to play on. The work was hard, dirty, and sweaty—but also rewarding.

I learned a lot on this trip about teamwork, adaptability, and resilience. I also learned about what Bryan Stevenson calls "the power of proximity." Stevenson believes you cannot be an effective problem solver from a distance. This trip blessed us with proximity. And proximity gave me a deeper sense of connection to the families we were serving in the Dominican Republic—their lives, their struggles, and their hopes. I can’t wait to sign up for the next Global Village Trip.

Paul (left) volunteering on the 2023 Global Village Trip to the Dominican Republic.

The good news is that you don’t have to go to the Dominican Republic to feel this connection. You can find it on a Habitat job site in St. Paul, Minneapolis, or the suburbs nearly every day of the week—rain, shine, snow, or sleet. If construction work is not for you, you can also volunteer at one of our ReStore Home Improvement Outlets or help out in the office. Or you can just be a donor—we love that too. However you choose to participate, we are grateful for your generous support of our mission and all Twin Cities Habitat homeowners. Thank you for joining with us as we Build Forward Together to make a lasting difference in our Twin Cities community.

With gratitude,

Paul Delahunt
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity Board Chair

Check out our most recent Annual Report to see stories of your generosity in action.