“Faith Build 2019” Partnership Opportunities in Greater Green Bay

Posted on 4-17-2019

Partnering with Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent in a Faith Build is an exciting way for members of your congregation to make an immediate impact where they live, work, and worship. Faith Build projects call for people to leave the halls of the church to do mission work at home. Thrivent will match faith-based contributions up to $65,000 to pay for the upfront costs of a Habitat home.

Churches are invited to participate in Faith Builds through prayer, volunteerism, and financial support. Build site opportunities start in July, the home dedication is scheduled to take place in November, and financial contributions are due in by December. 

How your church benefits:

A Faith Build gives your church members a concrete way to put their faith into action and see tangible results. But that’s just the beginning. It also:
• Builds community without your church
• Gives people of faith an opportunity
to engage in construction and nonconstruction activities and be the body of Christ in the world
• Helps build community among churches

Choose how to serve:

There are many ways for church members to get involved in a Faith Build on and off the construction site:
• Organize groups of 4-6 church members to spend a day on the build site
• Make a financial contribution
• Organize a fundraising activity
• Provide lunch for on-site volunteers
• Join the Faith Build committee
• Pray for continued build site success and safety

Housing Themed Fundraising Ideas:

Donate a penny per square foot of your own house. For example, if you own a 2400 sq. ft. house, your donation would be $24.

Buy a square foot of the Thrivent Faith Build house. The cost is determined by taking the cost of house sponsorship divided by the square footage of the house. For example, if the Thrivent Faith Build house sponsorship is $65,000 and the house is 1200 sq. ft., then the cost per square foot would be roughly $54.

Buy and sign a stud for the Faith Build house: Churches can purchase standard 2” x 4” studs for families to sign their names, write positive wishes, and draw pictures on for the family.
• Maximum amount: 50 studs • Length: 92-5/8 in. • Non-pressure treated. Many groups set a price of $5- $10 to purchase and sign a stud. Habitat will then use the studs to help build the Faith Build home.

Create a grid on a poster with a drawing of a house. Sell sections of the grid, or “bricks,” and write donors’ names in the spaces. Many groups set a price of $10- $15 for families to purchase a brick.

Pay the necessary working wages of a Green Bay resident: According to the “Out of Reach” report conducted in 2018 by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a Green Bay resident must earn $15.12/hour to afford a two bedroom apartment with a fair market rent of $786. Therefore, individuals would donate $15.12 towards the building of a Habitat house.

Pay the working wages of your volunteers: Organize a group to volunteer on a Habitat build site for a day. Then ask another group to pay the working wages of the volunteers for that day. Many groups determine the working wage to be the minimum wage (Wisconsin minimum wage is $7.25). Volunteers will serve on a Habitat build site for six to seven hours.

Questions?
Jennifer Maier, Volunteer Director, Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity ~ 920-593-5785 | 920-593-3921 | [email protected]

Habitat for Humanity

Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity builds new construction homes in the Green Bay area and sells them to qualified families at no profit. The Habitat program provides benefits to our partner families and the Green Bay community. Families benefit from decent, affordable housing while the community benefits from the redevelopment of neighborhoods and an increase in tax revenue. The Habitat program does not give houses away. Families must spend “sweat equity” hours helping to build their home, pay a $900 down payment and make monthly mortgage payments. Homes are made affordable due to the volunteer labor used to build the home and the 0% interest mortgage provided by Habitat. To see what we’re working on now, check out our Current Builds page!

Habitat homes are build according to these three standard principles:

  1. Simple:
    Habitat houses are modestly-sized. They are large enough for the homeowner family’s needs, but small enough to keep construction and maintenance costs to a minimum.
  2. Decent:
    Habitat for Humanity uses quality, locally-available building materials. Habitat house designs reflect the local climate and culture.
  3. Affordable:
    The labor of volunteers and partner families, efficient building methods, modest house sizes and no-profit loans make it affordable for low-income families to purchase Habitat houses.

The first step in becoming a Habitat homeowner is to attend an informational Application Meeting. At the informational session, you will find out about our program, see what a typical Habitat home looks like, and learn how to accurately complete your application. Applicants and co-applicants must attend a meeting to receive an application; you will have 30 days from that date to turn in your completed application and required documents.  This meeting will take approximately 1 hour.  The application process takes approximately 60-90 days from the date Habitat receives your completed application. If you have additional questions or would like more information, please contact [email protected].

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