Wilson Area Habitat for Humanity wasincorporated in December 1989 after a handful of Wilson residents came togetherto establish a local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. HFHI wasestablished in 1976 and now has more than 1100 US affiliates and more than 100serving in other countries. Wilson Area Habitat pays an annual tithe to HFHIand has to meet specific guidelines to stay “in good standing” with HFHI. Ourmission statement reads, “Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat forHumanity brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope.”
Wilson Area Habitat completed its firsthouse in 1991 and its 18th in 2020. Wilson County, the territory for WAHFH, hasa large number of abandoned and substandard homes and a high percentage ofrenters vs. homeowners. WAHFH has constructed homes using volunteer labor, andthrough many of its early years, without any paid administrative staff. We nowhave a full-time executive director, ReStore manager, and assistant manager, aswell as five part-time store employees. However, the community’s faithfulvolunteers provide the leadership and backbone needed to keep WAHFH “buildinghomes, communities and hope.”
To further that mission, Wilson AreaHabitat opened its Habitat ReStore in 2004. In 2020, we doubled our squarefootage at 626 Ward Blvd. with lease of the adjoining space. The ReStoreaccepts donations of new or gently used building materials, tools, hardware,furniture and household items. Proceeds from the store go toward building andrepairing homes.
In 2021, the Board approved the creation ofa “Repairs Ministry” in partnership with Wilson Community College’s Buildingand Construction Technology program. The goal of this ministry is to completeneeded repairs to eligible homeowners who cannot finance the repairsthemselves. WCC students, under the supervision of a licensed generalcontractor, will provide the labor for the repairs, and WAHFH will providematerials, volunteers where needed, and professional labor if necessary.
About Habitat for Humanity International
Founded in Americus, Georgia, USA, in 1976,Habitat for Humanity today operates around the globe and has helped build,renovate, and repair more than 600,000 affordable houses, sheltering more than35 million people worldwide.http://wilsonhabitat.org/?pub=wilsontimes
