The Hammer & Nail

Fall 2014

Habitat Doubles New Home Construction in Response to Flood

Habitat for
Humanity
is a nonprofit,
ecumenical Christian
organization. We are
dedicated to eliminating
substandard housing and
homelessness
worldwide and to
making adequate,
affordable shelter a
matter of conscience
and action. Our ministry
was founded on the
conviction that every
man, woman and child
should have a simple,
decent place to live in
dignity and safety.

As the first anniversary of the

flood approached, Habitat for
Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley
committed to doubling its
production of new homes in the
coming fiscal year. While
continuing to serve 4 traditional
partner families, Habitat is also
building 4 homes for families
that survived the flood. In addition to building in Longmont
and Dacono, Habitat is starting
its first home in Lyons for a
family that lost theirs to the
flood.

from being able to take charge of

a difficult situation by partnering
with Habitat.
Habitat is currently partnering
with a total of 12 families for new
homes a record number for the
affiliate! An additional 20 families
have received critical repair services or the repairs are underway.

Staff members chair or participate

in a number of flood recovery
groups throughout the service
area. Habitat also created the
We know Habitat is the
perfect solution for families on Habitat Hospitality Center (in
the road to their own personal partnership with the OUR
recovery from the flood, stated Center) where volunteers from
In order to meet the demands for
David Emerson, Executive
across the United States have
the new construction and repair,
Director of St. Vrain Habitat.
stayed while working on various
Habitat is now building five days
We have found that healing
Habitat projects.
(FLOOD continued on page 2)
and empowerment can come

Colorado United Day of Service: Remembering the Flood

Get Involved!

Saturday, Sept.13, 2014 marked

the anniversary of the flood that
devastated the area last year. To
commemorate all the work done

to rebuild communities, and to

highlight all that remains to be
completed, Governor John
Hickenlooper proclaimed the

Please consider
contributing as we work
to build homes and
transform lives in our
community.
Become a.
DONOR
VOLUNTEER
HOMEOWNER

www.stvrainhfh.org

Senator Mark Udall, Governor John Hickenlooper, and Rick Garcia,

Regional Director of Housing and Urban Development tour the Poplar
Grove construction site in Longmont with John Lovell, Director of

13th as CO United Day of Service.

Due to Habitats involvement with
ReBuild repair projects and the
construction of four new homes
for families affected by the flood,
Hickenlooper and Senator Mark
Udall and Rick Garcia, Regional
Director of Housing and Urban
Development, visited Habitats
Poplar Grove build site in Longmont.
Hickenlooper, Udall and Garcia
first toured Crystal Cordovas
new home. She was displaced by
the flood last year. They also met
two other families who lost their
houses in the flood and will move
into homes they are helping build
in the same neighborhood.

Page 2

Introducing
Habitats New
AmeriCorps

Jess Foster from

Hornell, NY
Construction Team

The Hammer & Nail

Notes from the Executive DirectorDave Emerson

As I look back over the
events of the last
twelve months, it is
amazing how far we
have come since the
flooding of September,
2013. For a great many
people that event is
yesterdays news.
However, for those
involved in the
recovery effort we see daily the amount of work
remaining to be done. As of the end of August a
stunning 622 cases are still open within Boulder
Countys Long Term Recovery Group in which
Habitat participates to help facilitate recovery. In
fact, while it is hard to believe, there are many
homeowners who are just now committing to a
plan to rebuild. Others are still working through
their options.

We have completed 14 repair projects and are

actively constructing new homes for 4 flood
survivor families. In addition, we have another
6 repair projects under way. As we work on these
homes alongside several other agencies, were
providing an invaluable role. It is not just the work
that is being completed, but the emotional lift to
homeowners as they see progress in their
neighborhood.
Inside this edition of our newsletter you will find
several updates on our projects and ways to get
involved. However, I encourage you to reach out
to us if you do not see a specific fit but feel led to
help. It is vitally important that we remain focused
on getting help into hard hit areas like Lyons as
the Fall progresses into Winter.
Thank you for your past support and God Bless!
Dave

Flood

(continued from page 1)

Veronica Jones from

Saint Louis, MO
Resource
Development

per week in the St. Vrain Valley.

HFHSVV has built capacity by
adding new staff and AmeriCorps members to manage
building and repair projects,
said Dan Northcraft, Director
of Operations. We have also
partnered with Habitats
Disaster Corps program as well
as organizations such as All
Hands volunteers to quickly add
to our construction expertise.
Lyons a Unique Challenge

Bryce Giboney from

West Linn, OR
Construction Team

The Vasquez family lived near

the confluence of the north and
south branches of the St. Vrain
River and owned their home.
Flooding was so extensive that
their home was uninhabitable
and had to be demolished.
Habitat is partnering with the
family to build a new home on
their property with a foundation
above the flood plain. A third
generation resident of Lyons,
Ramon Vasquez, faces physical
challenges and is blind, but his
first priority is to get his family

back into a safe home.

There are 99 families in Lyons
facing similar challenges. They
are confronted with a variety of
decisions on whether to repair
their home if possible, rebuild,
or sell their property to FEMA
and move to a new location.
Habitat has several projects
pending in Lyons that will likely
require demolition of the existing
structure and rebuilding the home.
The Lyons community does not
have a great deal of buildable
land available within its current
boundaries. Habitat will work
with the city and other groups
to identify opportunities for
new construction sites in Lyons.
Continuing Commitment
to Dacono

Dave Emerson praying with the Vasquez

family at the ground blessing ceremony for
their new home in Lyons. This will be the
first new Habitat home built in Lyons.

As Habitat continues to follow

its strategic direction of building
In spite of challenges brought on an ongoing presence in the
by the flood, Habitat is building Carbon Valley, we are building a
base of volunteers and financial
another home in Dacono this
support in the area, stated John
year for the Montoya family.
Lovell, Director of Development.
This will be the sixth Habitat
home in the Carbon Valley. An We know that our commitment
additional lot is also under con- will bring commitment from the
community.
tract for a future home.

Page 3

Habitat Acquires Longmont Property

In order to support additional home construction in Longmont,
Habitat acquired the remaining available land in Poplar Grove.
Fourteen homes will be built on property adjacent to the
current construction site. A series of triplexes and one duplex
are planned.

What Would Traveling be Without a Slight Change in Plans?

HFHSVV is going on its
third Global Village trip
in October. However,
due to a recent military
coup and subsequent
political unrest in
Lesotho, Africa, Habitat
will not be able to visit
its Tithe Partner.

of Habitat for Humanity

International: Africa and
the Middle East.

The goals of HFHSVVs

international ministry
are to support Habitat
affiliates abroad by
working alongside our
brothers and sisters,
and building relationTo ensure the safety of
ships so HFHSVV can
the 17 Longmont
better describe the
community members,
need and promote the
the team will instead go
work of other Habitats
to Cape Town, South
around the globe.
Africa. Here, the
Habitat team will build Please keep Habitat
Lesotho in your
relationships and
homes with Habitat for thoughts and prayers as
Humanity South Africa. they work to overcome
The team will also visit the political crisis in the
area. Also pray that
Pretoria to meet the
the Global Village team
Executive Director of
will have a safe and
Habitat Lesotho and
productive trip.
the Regional Director

Global Village Trip participants hand paint tapestries to give

homeowners in South Africa. as a keepsake.

With about one-third of construction costs

covered by donated materials and skilled labor,
Habitat can build one extra home per year. This
year Habitat is serving more families than ever
with extra flood ReBuild repair projects, therefore
there is a greater need for skilled laborers in the
electrical, HVAC, plumbing and foundation trades.

Become a member
of Blueprints - a
supportive community of
people working to
improve their lives.
Classes begin October
27th!
Blueprints is a 13 week
class designed to help
individuals examine
stability through topics
such as: emotions, role
models, relationships,
housing, finances, health
and education.
Contact: Julie Gallegos,
Director of Family Services
JGallegos@stvrainhfh.org
(303) 682-2485 x 103

The map above illustrates the distance between Lesotho (the

original destination of the trip) and Cape Town.

Building More Homes Through In-Kind Support

Instead of donating money to an organization,
some individuals and companies provide goods or
professional services. In-kind donations are
invaluable to Habitats efforts to build simple,
decent, affordable homes. Pro bono labor in
several trades, as well as donated construction
materials, allows Habitat to build more homes in a
shorter amount of time, and reduces the cost of
construction.

Sign Up Now
for October
Classes!

One of Habitats many loyal construction supporters, AAA Electric Company Inc., has donated
time and talent for nearly a decade. A days worth
of work provided by a AAA employee saves
Habitat about $2,000. In-kind contributions give
technicians the opportunity to volunteer on a
Habitat build site, It feels good to give back to a
good, local organization where you know that
everyone is united around the same goal: to
better the community, said Marvin Rahm, AAA
owner.
With this kind of support Habitat can build more
homes, communities, and hope in the St. Vrain
Valley. If you or your company are interested in
providing these services, please contact Dan
Northcraft at 303-946-4992.

"Blueprints helped me
understand that I wasn't the
only one in my situation,
gave me a sense of
acceptance and community;
open myself up to the idea
of new dreams after my old
ones had been broken; to
focus on some new goals for
my life. It also helped me
realize that I wasn't fully
living some of the values
that I truly believed; and
allowed me to reflect on
what I really believe, value,
and want out of life, then
choose a path more true to
what I want to become."
~ Blueprints graduate

We are Doubling the Number of Families

Served in the Community This Year!

Flood Survivors: Cordova Family

Flood Survivors: Soto Family

McGinley Family

Flood Survivors: Vasquez Family

Nunez Family

Montoya Family

Flood Survivors: Cano Family

Castillo Family

Critical Repair Projects in the

St. Vrain Valley
Community

Completed

In Process

Pending

Longmont

10

Lyons

Carbon Valley

Unincorporated

14

12

Total

Mail donations to:

Habitat for Humanity
PO Box 333
Longmont, CO 80502-0333
Donate on-line at:
www.stvrainhfh.org

Business Tagline or Motto

Non Profit Org.

US Postage
PAID
Longmont, CO
Permit #126

Office:
P.O. Box 333
Longmont, CO 80502-0333

Return Service Requested

Phone: 303-682-2485
Website: www.stvrainhfh.org

In This Issue
The Flood: One Year Later
Lesotho Update
Gifts in Kind Build Homes
Blueprints Fall Classes
New Faces at Habitat

Habitat is in a New
Location!
After five years of operating
out of an old house on Pratt
Street, Habitats administrative
offices have moved to a larger
facility at 1833 Sunset Place,
Suite A. Habitats mailing
address and phone number
will remain the same. Special
thanks to Luscombe Engineering and First Bank for donating
new office furniture!

Bring this coupon

to the St. Vrain
Habitat ReStore
to receive 25%
off of your first
purchase.

World Habitat Day! 10/6

(Some exceptions apply)
(Coupon expires 11/30/14)

As each has received a gift, use it to

serve one another, as good stewards
of God's varied grace - 1 Peter 4:10

1351 Sherman Drive

Longmont, CO
303-776-3334