February 23, 2021
3

Habitat Homeowner Gives Back through #HYP

By | Homeowner, Young Professional | No Comments

Precious Johnson became a Habitat homeowner in 2009 and joined our Young Professionals group in 2019. She currently serves on the 2021 leadership team as the HYP Secretary. 

My name is Precious and my first experience with Habitat was in 2008. I volunteered at a build a site, and after working the build site I was intrigued. I talked to my neighbor, a few co-workers and visited the Habitat website for more information.

There was a homeownership meeting scheduled for the next week and I decided to attend. After attending that one homeownership meeting, I submitted my application for the program. At that time, I was paying $675 in rent, and a monthly $100 light bill. I believe my bi-weekly paycheck after taxes was $700. The apartment was a very spacious two bedrooms, with two full bathrooms and I still lived close to my parents. Every month I used one of my bi-weekly paychecks to cover my rent. My best friend and my parents would help me monthly with groceries, gas, etc. My son and I lived in a previous cheaper apartment that was not safe or clean.

(Precious and her son, Karachi, volunteering on a Habitat build site.)

Affordable housing should be option to any adult who has income to make a monthly payment. I tried to apply for the Section 8 program, but the list was usually closed, or the waitlist was at a least a year.

Home is a place a family learns to grow, cook, love, and so much more. A family needs a home that is affordable, clean, and safe. I’m the oldest of four children, our house was always full of chaos, good food, laughter, anger, and a strong family. I always wanted my own home, but as a single parent I didn’t think I could afford a home. Then I thought how I would maintain a home, cut grass, pay property tax, etc. Once I went to the homeownership meeting, I knew I could afford a home.

My Habitat home makes me feel grateful that I have a warm, safe, and clean home for my family. I know that my hard work, and dedication made it possible to have a home. Also, I have a home that I can leave to my son, and he is learning how to maintain our home.

Habitat is important to me because the homeownership program made it possible for me to become a homeowner. If this program did not exist, I would have continued to live in an apartment struggling to pay rent. My Habitat mortgage is a payment that I continue to afford without a struggle.

December 3, 2020
0

Welcome Home 2020 Homeowners

By | From the CEO, Homeowner, News | No Comments

In a year when a safe, affordable home is as important as ever, we want to thank you for helping make the dream of homeownership possible for our families. Though challenges abounded in 2020, our homebuyers, sponsors, volunteers, donors, and partners pulled together to find solutions, offer each other grace, and return to the imperative work of our mission.

Whether you wielded a paintbrush, offered words of encouragement, or shared a gift to support our work, we are grateful for your partnership and the belief that everyone deserves a decent place to call home. Through the generous support of our community, we:

These smiles below say it best – thank you for welcoming home our 2020 homeowners!

Jim Morris
President & CEO
Greater Indy Habitat for Humanity

P.S. This winter we’re getting a head start on building homes for 2021. Your donation today helps make this early work possible so that even more families can build next year!

      

 

 

September 30, 2020
0

2019 Award Recipients

By | Volunteer, Young Professional | One Comment

In place of a large gathering to announce our 2019 award recipients, we opted to surprise each winner with a recognition of their dedicated and outstanding support of Habitat’s mission in Greater Indy. Check out the videos below to hear from each award recipient about why they work diligently to build homes, community and hope!

Congratulations to our 2019 Frank Hartman Volunteer of the Year, Erika Fotsch! Watch the video below to see Erika accept the award and learn more about why she is committed to Habitat’s mission in our city, state, and world.

Congratulations to our 2019 Legacy Corporate Partner, Carrier Corporation! We caught up with Carrier leaders and volunteers on the build site this fall. Check out the video below to discover why they come back year after year (for 25 years and counting!) to support Habitat families in achieving their goal of homeownership.

Congratulations to our 2019 Legacy Church Partner, St. Mark’s United Methodist Church! Many of our partners do more than just volunteer on the build site and St. Mark’s UMC is a prime example of that extended engagement. St. Mark’s long-term commitment to our mission has blessed many first-time homeowners.

Please join us in congratulating each of our incredible 2019 award recipients! 

September 16, 2020
0

Working Together While Staying Apart

By | Builders Circle | No Comments

Year-End Strategies for Charitable Giving

Like you, Greater Indy Habitat is adapting in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertain economy, and growing social and political unrest in our county.

For every dark moment in our history, there are countless tales of everyday people coming together to accomplish extraordinary feats. We have been blessed to have many individual, community and faith partners continue to walk alongside us and our families in 2020. Because of you 16 families will complete and purchase their first homes in 2020.

As the year is coming to a close, many people are thinking about how they can make an impact through a tax-deductible donation to Greater Indy Habitat. If that is you, I wanted to share a few beneficial strategies to consider. These may be helpful tools and I have worked closely with others that have used them to maximize their generosity while keeping their liabilities low. If you have questions about any of the below, or any strategies to help your generosity, please reach out to me!

Gifts of Stock or Securities

While donations by cash or check are the most common methods of charitable giving, contributing stocks, bonds, or mutual funds that have appreciated overtime have become increasingly popular in recent years. Typically, no capital gains taxes are owed when securities are donated, not sold. With many stocks appreciating sharply in August, this may be a good time to consider this donation strategy.

Required Minimum Distributions Waived in 2020

Even though Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) are waived, if you are at least 72 years-old, have an IRA, and plan to donate to Greater Indy Habitat this year, consider making a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA. This may allow you to satisfy charitable goals and allows funds to be withdrawn from an IRA without any tax consequences.

The CARES ACT: Good News When We Need It Most

Here’s some good news! Among the charitable giving provisions, the CARES ACT includes a temporary, partial above-the-line charitable deduction for cash gifts (up to $300) in 2020 to encourage gifts by taxpayers who are unable to itemize under current tax law. The legislation also modifies the limitation on qualified charitable gifts of cash to 100% of AGI for itemizers in 2020. I’m happy to talk through these changes with you!

If you have questions about donations of stock or making a gift from your IRA, we encourage you to reach out to your wealth manager before the end of the year. Or feel free to contact me, Janine Robertson, Impact Giving Officer, at jrobertson@indyhabitat.org or 317.922.2025.

July 9, 2020
0

Expanding My Impact with FreeWill

By | News, Tiger Team | No Comments

This summer we caught up with Denise Conrady to learn more about her experience volunteering with Habitat and why she used FreeWill via Greater Indy Habitat to set up her will…for free! Get to know Denise below and discover why FreeWill might be the right tool for you.

Why did you decide to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity?
I decided to volunteer for several reasons:
1) I love working on houses,
2) I wanted to give back to the community, and
3) it makes me feel good!

What do you enjoy most about being a Tiger?
I still consider myself a baby cub but there are several reasons I love the idea of being a Tiger:
1) I love the camaraderie and working on a team,
2) I love sharing my knowledge (directing volunteers), and
3) I love learning new things. As I am not yet retired (and will probably never retire) I can use the knowledge I gain volunteering in my freelance design work. (Check out her work here!)

Why did you decide to create a free will?
I have been needing to create a will and circumstances just sort of fell together what with the Covid craziness, extra time on my hands, and the fear that if I did pass, someone would have to make a lot of decisions and take care of my stuff. The FreeWill option just showed up on my radar at the right time. I also like the idea that it is free! It fits my budget!

How was using the FreeWill tool?
I have not completed the process but so far, I find the tool very easy to use. The one thing the tool cannot do for you is all the prep work necessary as you will see in my next answer.

Do you have suggestions for how folks can prepare before starting the tool?
1) Know what your assets are!
2) Decide what you are going to leave to who.
3) Elect an executor and have a conversation with that person.
4) Pick a guardian for kids (and/or pets) – have a conversation with that person.

What compelled you to leave a legacy gift with Habitat?
I don’t really know – it just felt right. There might not be much when I die but even $10 is something, right?

Denise is absolutely right – every gift, no matter the amount, makes a difference in the lives of Greater Indy families…for generations. 

Creating a will is one of the most impactful ways to support the people and causes you care about. As you think about the future, we invite you to peruse FreeWill to write your legally valid will in under 25 minutes. 

Thank you, Denise, for your continued and broad support of our homeowners, volunteers, staff, and mission!