Our Habitat: Preparing for Success, By Matthew Whittle

As we head into a new year, a common question that people may be asking you is, “What are your resolutions?” And you know what, that can be an uncomfortable question sometimes! Sometimes it can come across as “So, how are you going to fix what’s wrong with you?”

Of course that’s not how it’s (usually) meant. And it can be a good question to at least consider – “What are we going to resolve to do differently or better this year?”

For Habitat for Humanity of Goldsboro-Wayne, it’s a question that’s been on our minds over the last year as we completed a new strategic plan with part of that process being looking at what we’re doing and how we can do it better. And one area we’ve been focusing on for continued improvement is homeowner education.

You see, there are a lot of home builders out there, but the one thing that sets Habitat apart is the effort we put into teaching our families and giving them the tools they will need to succeed on their own.

Not only do our families go attend financial literacy classes and receive intensive one-on-one budgeting guidance, but they also have mandatory workshops on home maintenance and repair, homeowner responsibilities and expectations, homeowner insurance, conflict resolution and much, much more – all part of their sweat equity requirements in an effort help them build not just a new home, but that new foundation of strength, stability and self-reliance.