Habitat for Humanity East Bay
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Family Resource Committee
When Habitat East Bay’s Board of Directors added “revitalizing neighborhoods” to its mission in 2004, they made a serious commitment. Affordable homeownership stabilizes families and opens up possibilities; the Family Resource Committee encourages families to expand their dreams through access to education and empowerment within their communities.
The Family Resource Committee is a volunteer-led committee that supports homeowners after move-in through the Youth Opportunities (YO), Community Building (CB), and Habitat Homeowner Newsletter teams. The FRC approach is based upon the African proverb, “it takes a village to raise a child.” FRC volunteers contribute time and experience to the Habitat ‘village’ by serving as youth mentors, supporting homeowners to host community events, and generally supporting the healthy development of youth, partner families and Habitat developments.
FRC volunteers are:
- Excited about direct outreach and marketing to HEB families and youth
- Can effectively present the community building message and vision of Habitat East Bay
- Able to manage and motivate other volunteers
- Able to plan and attend events in the East Bay (Alameda, Contra Costa counties)
- Organized, reliable, proactive and self-motivated
- Proficient in Spanish, Cantonese, or Mandarin (highly desirable)
FRC volunteers give:
- Average of 12 hours a month
- Minimum of six month service commitment
- Attendance at scheduled monthly meetings
- Participation in related trainings and workshops
FRC volunteers get:
- Experience in community building, event planning and execution, research and outreach.
- Ongoing trainings in leadership development, community capacity building, conducting one-on-ones, group facilitation, and social/economic/environmental justice.
Youth Opportunity
The Youth Opportunity (YO) team encourages Habitat East Bay youth to identify their strengths and talents, think about college early, and challenges young minds to take on leadership roles in the community while having fun. Planned activities are based on youth interests and youth development objectives. At their core, YO events educate, inform, and promote civic responsibility and personal empowerment in Habitat youth–all while bringing the wider HEB youth community together to have fun!
Youth Opportunity Liaison:
- Outreach to and mentor HEB students
- Facilitate team-building activities & outings
- Organize tours of local hi-tech companies and colleges
- Organize college readiness workshops & activities
The Youth Opportunity team is currently seeking volunteers to serve as:
- Youth Group Facilitators/Mentors/College Advisors
- Outreach Liaisons to a core group of HEB youth in Alameda and/or Contra Costa County
Community Building
The Community Building team recognizes that fulfilling HEB’s mission of neighborhood revitalization requires more than building new homes; it requires building relationships between homeowners. Community Building volunteers work with homeowners once they’ve moved in to develop leadership capacity and community building efforts to address issues within their new development. A well-organized base organization can then choose to take on issues like crime, education or pollution that affect the broader neighborhood. Community Building volunteers enhance the leadership trainings and homeownership education program that all new Habitat homeowners participate in. Inspiring by example and nurturing homeowners’ leadership, Community Building volunteers have an opportunity to affect tangible change, one Habitat development at a time.
Community Building Liaisons:
- Coordinate community-wide events and trainings with homeowners
- Encourage relationship building between neighbors
- Build relationships with Habitat homeowners through one-on-ones and focus group discussions
- Develop leadership and organizing skills among Habitat families to support their neighborhood base organization
- Support existing Habitat neighborhoods in community development efforts (e.g., engaging residents to participate in a Neighborhood Watch program, planning social activities or neighborhood meetings, designing consciousness-raising programs based on homeowners’ interests and needs)
The Community Building team seeks volunteers to serve as:
- Outreach Liaisons to a core group of HEB families in Alameda and/or Contra Costa County
- Logistical and strategic support to HEB families establishing and growing Homeowner Associations and other neighborhood associations
Habitat Homeowner Newsletter
From Crockett to Livermore, Habitat keeps in touch with homeowners through a quarterly bi-lingual newsletter. Here we shine light on Habitat homeowners and developments—past articles have highlighted scholarship winners, neighborhood events, and contests. Habitat staff and volunteers contribute articles relevant to all homeowners—regular columns include home maintenance, gardening and green living. Besides keeping homeowners informed of news from Habitat, the newsletter is a bulletin for our extended East Bay family. And, like any family, we are stronger when we stay in touch!
Look at what we’ve done: