berkshirehabitat.org

ANNUAL REPORT 2014

$26,264 Average INCOME of Habitat homeowners

$419 Average monthly MORTGAGE payment of Habitat homeowners 39% of that is taxes and insurance

267 Number of GENEROUS people and organizations that made a financial contribution

100 Percentage of Berkshire Habitat’s Board that CONTRIBUTES financially to the Mission

308 VOLUNTEER workers (we love you!)

9346 Hours of volunteer LABOR (that we know about)

3,787 CONSTRUCTION volunteer hours

891ADMINISTRATION volunteer hours

967 Hours of SWEAT EQUITY contributed by Habitat homeowners (and it wasn’t all on their own homes!)

86 Women participated in WOMEN BUILD 2014

2 HOMES completed in record time

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Bike & Build

Greylock Women Build

Lynn Sue Stone

Ava and Shamika Mungin

Viola Child

Vera St. JohnGeneral Dynamics NAVY

Camp Taconic

Grace Walter

Shamika Mungin

VITA Taxes!

Building for Tomorrow

Camp Taconic

Building for Tomorrow

Shamika Mungin

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Women Build

Do me one favor, even if you don’t read the rest of this letter, and spend a few minutes reading the other pages in this annual report to see how your contribution of money, time and/or talent added with everyone else’s is making an impact in the lives of many people in our community.

The board of directors and staff work together to bring the best value possible to our community with the resources we have available. We know the need is greater than our resources so we’re committed seek assistance from everyone who shares Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

I used to think that to attain the vision, it meant just building or rehabbing houses, but in fact it’s more important to start with financial literacy programs like Building For Tomorrow. We know houses need good foundations, so before people become homeowners, they need to build a strong foundation and learn to manage their resources to enable them to improve their quality of life. For Central Berkshire Habitat to succeed in these efforts, we need you!

Ready to do your part? Become the sponsor for a new house ($50,000). You can do this as individuals, families, churches, businesses or any other way you can imagine. Can’t sponsor a house? How about the roof, flooring, siding, windows or the kitchen sink? We need large and small donors which together with our great volunteers and excellent staff will work to change the lives of many hard-working and deserving people in Pittsfield.

FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT

— Lou Coelho, President, Board of Directors

OUR NEW INITIATIVES WILL USE THE SAME

TRIED AND TRUE SELF-HELP MODEL THAT

MAKES HABITAT’S WORK SUSTAINABLE AND

SUCCESSFUL.

3Bike and Build participants get in some drill time.

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

— Carolyn Valli, Executive Director

This is always the hardest part of the annual report for me — how do I distill down to just a few paragraphs all that has been accomplished with your donations of time and talent, as well as your monetary donations? How do I share the hope for the big vision of the future that is before us in just a few words? I am really going to try, but remember, YOU accomplished a lot! You have completed two homes, and began another home which will be completed in September. Did you make a difference in the lives of those three families? Absolutely. But what you might not have been aware of is the additional two families that were able to benefit. Are you wondering what I’m talking about?

Two of the three families for whom you built homes have broken free of Section 8 subsidized housing — freeing those Section 8 slots for people in need of affordable housing who have been on the waiting lists for two or three years!

When you are eligible for a Section 8 voucher, it means that you don’t have enough income to afford market rent. A shocking 49% of renters in Massachusetts are cost-burdened, meaning they pay more than 35% of their income for housing.

You made critical home repairs that helped the elderly, the disabled and veterans remain in their homes.

You taught and coached 40 families with 72 children in our Building for Tomorrow Financial Tools program, giving them the tools to become homeowners. Five of those families are board approved for Habitat homeownership and building their sweat equity right now. Two other Financial Tools graduates are working on starting a business. Many are furthering their education and still others have gained full-time employment. You prepared 644 free tax returns and brought $746,223 problem-solving dollars into the hands of workers that on average only make $18,372.90 a year. This is the one time of year that low income families have a large enough resource to make a change in their future.

You worked in the community as part of the Neighborhood Watch and Neighborhood Initiatives. You listened to the desires of the residents in the neighborhood: what they like about their neighborhood and what they would like to see for their neighborhood. You’ve strived to make those desires be heard.

You have met with other community organizations to explore how we can work better together to have a lasting impact through resident leadership and collaboration.

But most of all you have been the hearts, hands and voices that continue to make affordable homeownership possible.

With gratitude and appreciation for all you do,

4Shamika Mungin gets some drill tips from Charlie Cook on the job site at her soon to be new home, 10 Goodman Lane.

LOOKING FORWARD

In FY2014 Central Berkshire Habitat’s Board of Directors approved our affiliate to pursue becoming a designated Veteran’s Build affiliate. Habitat International approved Central Berkshire Habitat as an official Veteran’s Build Affiliate in early FY2015.

We serve local military and veteran families through homeownership, volunteer opportunities and outreach. In FY2014, Berkshire Habitat:

• Partnered with the Pittsfield Rotary Club to complete two critical home repair projects for veterans

• Hosted its first all-veteran volunteer group in April with Berkshire Community College Student Veteran’s Association at our 10 Goodman Lane build site

• Hosted active General Dynamic Navy volunteer contributions at our build sites

• Would like to thank our regular veteran volunteers for their continued commitment to Habitat

With increased outreach to military and veteran families in our community, Central Berkshire Habitat hopes to complete an All-Veteran House Build in FY2015. This would be a home built by veterans, for a veteran.

As with the construction of Habitat homes, the building up of our homebuyer partners requires the collaboration of a vast and deep network of volunteers, donors, Habitat homeowners and staff.

In FY2015, we are increasing our homeownership training plan to strengthen the foundation for Habitat homeownership.

Looking ahead, we plan to offer:

• Training on home maintenance, home safety and how to troubleshoot common home issues

• Yard maintenance and landscaping education • Leadership training for homeowners in

homeowners associations

Homeowner Training

Volunteers

Above, Pittsfield Rotary Volunteers work on a Neighborhood Revitalization Veteran’s Repair project. At left, homebuyer partner Lynn Sue Stone working on her sweat equity.

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LOOKING FORWARD

Money Matters

Lauren Pettijohn and Jason Gunning review Jason’s credit report in a Building for Tomorrow session. Below, Rose Dawson assists a client with her taxes for our VITA Program.

Our Building for Tomorrow Financial Tools Program has served 112 people in FY2014, providing financial stability and — ultimately — sustainability to individuals and families. It is the primary focus of our two-part Building for Tomorrow program. The Financial Tools & Money Management classes teach an exceptional budgeting system that is totally flexible and tailored to each family’s unique needs. The second part is our one-on-one coaching program, which provides continuing support in creating awareness, planning and goal setting and managing progress and accountability on the road to achieving an improved financial picture. This two-pronged approach delivers tools that are the key to sustainable home ownership and a stronger, healthier, more viable community.

Exciting expansion plans for the program are on the horizon in FY2015. We’ll add coaches (including a current Habitat homeowner) to our coaching team, as well as train additional Financial Tools teachers in order to offer more classes, more often throughout the year. We will launch a pilot of Getting Ahead in a Just Getting By World — a facilitated 16-module program providing a different and potentially powerful opportunity to break the cycle of poverty — to graduates of our Financial Tools program.

VITA TaxWhy do we care about tax refunds? Because those refund dollars have the potential to be a down payment on a home, a resource for paying off a debt, or as was the case of one of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance clients, the purchase of a car.

Reliable transportation has been identified as a major barrier to employment and quality of life. One of our clients struggled with this daily reality. She was in danger of losing her job because she did not have the necessary transportation for employment.

She was stressed out and fearful, but she enrolled in VITA and left the program light-hearted and hopeful, with her taxes completed for FREE. More importantly, she walked out with the knowledge that she would have the funds to solve

her problems. She researched a car purchase and explored financing with the tax refund, then re-evaluated her housing choices. For this family, living in an affordable apartment grants financial breathing room and owning a car grants choices, opportunity and stability. Taxes matter. VITA is a way for families to take a quick windfall and gain control over their finances, and subsequently their lives.

The Financial Tools Class has made such a huge difference in my life, helping me to face and begin to TAKE CHARGE of my finances rather than ignoring them — with a growing sense of anxiety — as I had

been. I can change my situation and I can’t thank you enough for that!— Building for Tomorrow Financial Tools Graduate

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Location70 Jefferson Place(off West Housatonic)Pittsfield, MA

RESTOREStore Hours

Thursdays, 3 to 7 p.m.Fridays and Saturdays

9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

147 Tons of building materials kept out of LANDFILLS and sold at ReStore

946 In-store DONATIONS at the ReStore

488 Donations picked up by our FABULOUS ReStore volunteer truck drivers

2014 was another remarkable year for ReStore with many accomplishments, including winning First Prize at the Fourth of July Parade! Habitat for Humanity partnered with Warner Brothers to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wizard of Oz. ReStore Manager Steve Gingras drew on that theme to create the No Place like Home float, pictured above.

It was a rainy parade day but nothing could dampen the spirits of our cast of characters: Cowardly Lion (Alan Vreeland), Tin Man (Luke Kaplan), Scarecrow (Elsa Millett), Wicked Witch (Carol Gingras), Glenda the Good Witch (Susan Slattery), Dorothy (Delaney, grand-daughter of board member Sue Fennell-Ivas) and The Wizard of Oz himself (Steve Gingras). ReStore is indeed a magical place when we consider that 147 tons of rescued building materials turned into enough funds to build a simple decent home. The ReStore provides another dimension to our Neighborhood Revitalization work by being a resource for improving the housing stock in the Berkshires.

The success of ReStore cannot be overlooked without thanking our volunteers. Whether driving trucks, organizing donations, or juggling transactions, these volunteers are integral to the efficiency and professionalism that keeps customers returning. We are grateful for your time and talents, and are always looking for new volunteers to join the team (especially if you are a heavy-lifter)!

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Lou Coelho, General Dynamics, PresidentChris Moon, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Vice PresidentH. Jay Bailly, Berkshire Bank, TreasurerNormaLyn Powers, RSVP (retired), ClerkEdward Kinsella, General Dynamics (retired), Clerk ElectDeane Christopolis, Evergreen RealtyLeslie Curley, Berkshire Mediation GroupFrank Engels, Goodwill IndustriesSue Fennell-Ivas, Cain, Hibbard and MyersRick Kielman, Blythewood RealtyMargaret Miller, TrustCo BankMark Miller, Berkshire Eagle (retired)Thomas O’Donnell, ClosetScapes LLCSean Quinn, Berkshire LifePeter Samsel, General DynamicsLinda Shafiroff, Creative Building SolutionsChris Smith, Hillcrest EducationalBob Sykes, Robert Sykes Massage TherapyBrent White, White EngineeringMichael Zaccaro, PVH Corp (retired)

Central Berkshire Habitat’s Board of Directors meets the SECOND WEDNESDAY of each month.

Chris Moon on the 166 Dewey job site on a bitterly cold early 2014 day.

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Sources of SupportSpecial Events $4,618Individual Donors $45,353Faith and Civic Groups $16,706Gifts in Kind $59,398Grants $155,303Mortgage Receipts $45,271Property Donation $135,000ReStore/Other Income $121,383

Special EventsIndividual DonorsFaith and Civic GroupsGifts in KindGrantsMortgage ReceiptsReStore/Other Income

Income

Habitat Program Expenses

$457,174.00Admin/Fundraising Expenses

$60,000.00

Habitat Program ExpensesAdmin/Fundraising Expenses

INCOME AND EXPENSES

Expenses

HABITAT’S REVOLVING FUND Donations enter into the revolving fund cycle as Habitat build and sells homes. Our Partner families make mortgage payments that continue the cycle and account for over 10% of Habitat’s annual support.

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PEOPLE SERVED

ProgramsHousing Services 5Building for Tomorrow 112Community Development 161VITA 644

Housing ServicesBuilding for TomorrowCommunity DevelopmentVITA

Programs

One Year Later

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A Habitat job-site can bring out the best of human nature: through collaboration on a shared project, preconceptions fade and friendships are built. It’s a place where a homebuyer partner can thrive and take ownership of their goals. We see this in many of our Habitat homeowners, but one that really stands out for us was our 25th homeowner, Trisha LaShomb. Trisha set clear goals for herself and worked tirelessly to become a homeowner and an excellent role model for her daughter, Reilley. It was a challenge. She was going to school and working full time, and she needed to be the grounding force for the people close to her. When her extended family needed a safe harbor, she opened her doors to them and coached them as she had been coached to set and reach goals.

She is a shining example of a Habitat homeowner for her ability to draw strength from within herself while utilizing her strengths to help her community. We are proud to have partnered with her.

Trisha LaShomb

20 WAYS TO CELEBRATE HABITAT’S 20 YEARS IN CENTRAL BERKSHIRE

1. Donate monthly2. Check to see if your employer will match your gift to Habitat3. Increase your annual donation to Habitat this year4. Donate your old car, boat, truck or RV through Habitat’s Cars for Homes program5. Join our regular volunteers on a construction site6. Organize a group to provide lunch for our hardworking volunteers7. Invite a friend to join you and other volunteers on the construction site8. Donate your volunteer hours to a Habitat Homebuyer Partner9. Donate your gently used household goods to our ReStore

10. Volunteer at the ReStore once a week—proceeds help us build more homes11. Shop at the ReStore for treasure12. Subscribe to our monthly email newsletter13. Like us on Facebook, and like the ReStore too! 14. Attend a Habitat house dedication15. Advocate for affordable housing in our community—write a letter to the

editor about the need for organizations like Habitat16. Donate your birthday—celebrate by building on our job site with your friends17. Volunteer to become a financial coach18. Write a testimonial for us and send it to community@berkshirehabitat.org19. Become a homebuyer partner and work directly with Habitat homeowners20. Lead a Women Build project

berkshirehabitat.orgBike and Build — working and smiling!