The Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity, Habitat for Humanity International, and 83 U.S. Habitat affiliated organizations received $436 million in unrestricted giving from American author and philanthropist Mackenzie Scott.
The Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity received $5 million from the donation.
With the donation, the vision of Habitat affiliated organizations is to create a world where everyone has equitable access to a safe, decent, and affordable place to call home.
FAHFH was founded in 1988 with the goal to build safe, affordable energy-efficient homes in Cumberland County. Since its inception, the FAHFH has expanded, helping hundreds of individuals and families in Cumberland, Sampson, and Bladen Counties through their homeownership, critical home repairs, and veteran repairs programs.
"Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity firmly believes that every man, woman, and child should have a place to live in dignity and safety,” said CEO Ron Gunter. “This $5 million gift makes it possible for us to expand our operational and outreach capabilities and turn that vision into a reality for many more families," This generous donation will allow us to enhance our financial security and provide longterm financial sustainability for the further development of affordable housing. It will enable us to achieve our expansion into Robeson County, elevating our service coverage area to four counties."
Currently, the FAHFH is working on a new 47-home development in Fayetteville due to finish in June 2022.
"The community of Oakridge Estates has taken more than $7 million to complete. ‘Affordable housing’ is not affordable. A gift like this makes continued investment in our community possible by building more communities like Oakridge Estates, and gives us a renewed sense of hope for the future and a firm resolve as we address the critical need for housing affordability," Gunter added.
Habitat International will use its $25 million from the donation to prioritize advocacy and programmatic efforts designed to dismantle systemic racism, allowing the Habitat to advocate for policy proposals and legislation to enable millions of people to have access to affordable housing through “Cost of Home.”
"Habitat works to break down barriers and bring people together — to tear down obstacles and build a world where everyone, no matter who we are or where we come from, has a decent place to live," said Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford. "This incredible gift helps make that work possible."
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