Vision & Goals
Adopted April 3, 2006
Vision for 2006-2010
Morris Habitat for Humanity will advocate for affordable housing and will more than double its homeowners by building or renovating thirty additional family residences by 2010. While its name suggests that its work is limited to Morris County, Morris Habitat will broaden its influence into adjacent counties, working collaboratively with other Habitat affiliates and with related housing organizations to improve the affordable housing stock in the region.
- Homes built in northern New Jersey
April 2008: Completed 32nd home in 11th municipality - Homes in a Box sent to Gulf Coast for Operation Home Delivery
September 2006: Completed 2nd Home in a Box for hurricane disaster relief - Homes financed in other countries
July 2007: Built 93 homes in other countries (cost ranges from $1,500 to $4,200) with annual tithes of non-restricted donations totaling $197,553 - Homes repaired
December 2007: Home Repair Ministry assisted 19 families with repairs
Advocacy
The significant implications of this vision are that Morris Habitat will expand its advocacy role. It will work with communities to assist them in achieving their COAH requirements, will foster community awareness of the need for affordable housing, and will demonstrate that Habitat homeowners are desirable neighbors. It will also work with other community organizations to persuade both government and private authorities to address affordable housing needs. Related to this, Morris Habitat will strengthen its family partnership program to educate and support homeowners so that they understand the implications of property ownership and care as well as their obligation to be contributing citizens within their communities. While the primary focus will be on construction and renovation, Morris Habitat will expand its Home Repair ministry.
Land acquisition
The principal challenges facing Morris Habitat are the acquisition of land and securing sufficient funding for both land and construction. To address the first, Morris Habitat will expand its efforts to find suitable land, following sixty property leads per year so that an appropriate inventory of properties can be acquired and used.
Funding and relationships
With respect to funding and related support, Morris Habitat will focus on relationship building with corporations, congregations, and individuals. These will provide funding, leadership talent, volunteers, and advocacy. At least twenty partnership or covenant agreements will be developed with both corporations and congregations. Recognizing that most funding comes from individuals, an initiative to significantly expand personal donations will be undertaken. An additional source of funds will come from a profitable ReStore operation. These development initiatives, as well as the advocacy work described above, will require that Morris Habitat’s public relations vehicles be differentiated so as to reach multiple audiences with messages appropriate to the relationships that the organization is building and maintaining.
Staff and board roles, systems, and facilities
The growth of Morris Habitat has implications for its staff, its facilities, and the systems it uses to produce results. The role of the Executive Director will become more strategic and less administrative. While more structured and aggressive recruitment and utilization of volunteers will be developed to impact results, growth of the paid staff will be required as operations and sphere of influence expand. Planning, logistics, material acquisition and storage, and related processes will be systematized for greater efficiencies. Organizational and operational growth will require the acquisition of a facility or facilities that will house offices, educational and support activities, storage, and ReStore retail operations. The Board will also take on a broader role as it moves from its “grassroots” foundation. It will focus more on strategy, policy, development, and advocacy.
Through these initiatives, Morris Habitat will be seen as a significant contributor to communities in Morris County and the adjacent North Jersey area.
Major Annual Goals for 2006
Land acquisition
To have six properties in inventory in excess of all sites on which construction or renovation has started as of December 2006.
Development
To increase funding primarily through two sources:
- Increase contributions from individual donors by 15%
- Open and operate a ReStore that will show significant movement to profitability by December 2006
Family Partnership Program
To design and have operational a program that assists Habitat families understand their roles as homeowners and community members.