Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County Receives $150,000 Grant From KeyBank To Launch New Homeownership Training Center
The new center will also serve as Habitat’s new home office, accommodating for organizational growth.
KeyBank and the KeyBank Foundation announced an investment of $150,000 in Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County (HFHSJC) to help launch its new Homeownership Training Center and home office.
The vibrant new space, a renovated former medical building in Mishawaka, will be twice the size of HFHSJC’s current location and large enough to accommodate their organizational growth, allowing for more mission-driven services.
Over the next three years, the nonprofit is aiming to:
- Welcome 3,0000 individuals into the new Homeownership Training Center to learn about their homeownership programming,
- Offer homeownership classes to approximately 95 families, presenting information on construction and home maintenance, budgeting, life insurance and estate planning, and
- Utilize the space to host informational sessions, celebrations and other events—partnering with local organizations with coinciding missions.
HFHSJC is also planning to address Black homeownership rates with its new Advancing Black Homeownership (ABH) initiative. The nonprofit is dedicating efforts to educate Northern Indiana community members of the history of discrimination as well as continued inequities in housing by creating additional home-build and roof repair/replacement opportunities specifically for Black homeowners.
By 2027, Habitat plans to build 30 homes for Black families of St. Joseph County by empowering an estimated 80 adults and children who would have otherwise been excluded from homeownership to have access to decent, stable, affordable housing.
“KeyBank’s purpose is to help the communities we serve thrive, and accessibility to homeownership resources is a crucial element,” said Bhumika Norris, Northern Indiana KeyBank Market President. “We are excited to partner with and support Habitat, helping to connect our community members to industry experts and resources in the homeownership arena. This partnership will not only strengthen our community, but it will lead to even greater stability and prosperity that our local families deserve.”
“KeyBank has been an engaged partner with Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County for years,” said Jim Williams, President and CEO of HFHSJC. “We so appreciate their commitment to help address the housing affordability crisis in our community and their investment in our new Home Ownership Training Center. The positive impact of the financial and home ownership education families will receive will be felt for years to come.”
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