Habitat Kent was thrilled to host Baruani Amisi, the Bank of America Student Leader Intern, for a month this summer. Born in a refugee camp in Tanzania, Baruani attended Kelloggsville High School and Grand Rapids Community College. This fall, he’ll be starting as a student at Davenport University. His first-hand experiences as a child with […]
This July, we celebrated a milestone moment in the Pleasant Hills neighborhood as we hosted a joint home dedication and welcomed Emma, Keith & Jael, and their families into the community. Surrounded by friends and supporters, the families gathered to mark the beginning of an exciting new chapter. The celebration was made even more meaningful as neighbors from nearby […]
For the past seven years, Edwin and his family, including his wife and three children, have called a small apartment home. During that time, they faced challenges, from cramped living spaces and noisy neighbors to ongoing mold issues. As a shift lead at a metal manufacturing factory, Edwin worked hard to provide for his family […]
This summer marked an exciting milestone for Habitat Northern Muskegon: finishing the first home and the opportunity to welcome new homeowners! We celebrated the occasion with two special events. On a beautiful July day, we began with a private home dedication for the family and their loved ones, including grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles, and lots of cousins. New homeowners Ashley and Jordyn, along with their five children, spent the morning exploring every corner of […]
On June 23, Habitat Kent hosted a groundbreaking for phase III of our Pleasant Hills development, the first five-story, multi-family building for affordable homeownership in Grand Rapids. The 27-unit condominium building will offer 2- and 3-bedroom condo units at affordable prices to new homeowners. These quality, efficient homes use green building materials, appliances, and techniques to provide homeowners with an average reduction of energy consumption by 33%. Each home comes with […]
Thanks to the dedication and commitment of our Housing Champions, a special group of committed supporters, through whose efforts towards sustainable, affordable, safe housing continues to move forward in Kent County. This sustaining recurring support continues to bring people together to build homes and hope with families across Kent County neighborhoods, where we are creating new affordable housing opportunities. These sustaining […]
We’re thrilled to share that two more families are now Habitat homeowners! Matt and Victoria recently closed on their homes and celebrated this milestone with home dedications, where family, friends, and supporters gathered to welcome them into their new spaces. Both Matt and Victoria waited a long time for their dreams of homeownership to come to fruition. Read more about their journeys below. Matt Matt’s path to homeownership was a long and difficult one. During childhood, […]
We’re proud to partner with multiple schools and youth programs to provide students with hands-on learning experiences in building trades. Throughout the year, we’ve worked with Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids Public Schools, Hamilton Community Schools, Crossroads Alternative High School, Kent Intermediate School District (KISD), Muskegon Public Schools, West Michigan Construction Institute (WMCI), and YouthBuild Grand Rapids. As the school and program years come to an end, we’re highlighting the work and impact of four of these organizations: YouthBuild Grand Rapids, Hamilton […]
We’re excited to welcome Joel Rahn to our board of directors! Joel is the Executive Vice President of Commercial Banking at Independent Bank. He joined Independent Bank in 2018 as Senior Vice President of Commercial Banking, leading the Bank’s commercial banking activities. He has over 35 years of commercial banking experience, including his previous role as Regional President of West Michigan at Chemical […]
After 17 years of service, our Family Support Services Director, Gail Hollen, is retiring this spring. During her time with Habitat Kent, Gail has been a steady, compassionate presence for countless families as she worked with them toward their dream of homeownership. From walking alongside first-time buyers through our homeownership program to celebrating key-in-hand moments, her dedication and passion have shaped […]
