At Lancaster-Lebanon Habitat for Humanity, we believe that a stable, affordable home is the foundation for a stronger community. Yet for too many of our neighbors, the dream of homeownership feels increasingly out of reach.
That’s why our Board of Directors and Strategic Planning Committee have come together to chart a clear course toward an audacious local vision:
“A community where homeownership never feels out of reach”
We acknowledge this is an audacious, bold and far-reaching goal, and, to accomplish this vision, we’ll need to, not only, educate our community about the barriers to affordable housing, but inspire the community to become part of the solution.
In the nearly four decades of doing this work in our community, we’ve seen how access to stable and affordable housing can improve all aspects of life from physical and mental health, to building generational wealth, to increased civic engagement and better education.
Homebuilding and housing preservation remains the focus of what we do here at Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity, but to achieve our vision we’ll be focusing on education, advocacy and partnerships.
Affordable housing challenges are complex – but understanding them is the first step toward solving them. A key element of achieving our vision is providing education to the barriers of first-time homeownership through storytelling and data, while sharing practical solutions. We’ve already begun sharing some examples of the barriers to affordable housing in our print and email newsletters and will continue to do so on social media and our website. If you’d like to sign up for our newsletter, please send an email to info@llhfh.org.
We have state and local policymakers currently scheduled to visit our Habitat construction sites and ReStore to experience first-hand how safe and decent housing can transform lives and we’ll continue to invite policymakers to witness and learn more about our mission. And we’ll continue to advocate on the local, state and federal level on issues that impact affordable housing and first-time homeownership.
We realize to build a community where homeownership never feels out of reach means partnering with other nonprofits, key influencers and business leaders to deepen awareness of how housing access supports economic and community health.
The next few years will set the stage for lasting change in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties. Our local vision challenges us to think bigger, partner wider, and communicate with greater purpose.
Together—with our volunteers, donors, homeowners, and community partners—we can build a future where everyone has a safe place to call home, and where homeownership never feels out of reach.
Want to get involved? Learn more about our volunteering opportunities here.