History

 
Austin Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1985. An affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, it was dedicated to financing and building homes that low-income residents could afford through zero-interest, no profit mortgages. In the beginning, Austin Habitat was completely run by dedicated volunteers, who raised funds to build up to a few homes per year.

Since that time, we have built more than 300 homes for low-income, hardworking families. We have grown to be the largest provider of homeownership to low income residents in Central Texas, building up to 25 homes per year.  In addition, we have completed more than 80 home repair projects, increasing quality of life for these homeowners as well as revitalizing the communities in which they live.
 
In 1991, Austin Habitat opened the ReStore, a retail store that purchases and accepts donations of new and slightly used building materials to sell back into the community.  Proceeds from all sales go toward our mission of creating and preserving homeownership in Austin. The first of its kind in the U.S., the Austin Habitat ReStore has served as the prototype for the 650 ReStores now scattered across the country, all raising money to help their affiliates house those in need.
 
In 2000, the Deconstruction program was launched to generate additional revenue for our affordable housing programs. Deconstruction is the hand demolition of buildings in the reverse order of their construction in order to carefully remove materials for reuse and recycling, keeping them out of landfills. Our deconstruction team salvages materials that can be used for renovation and other small-scale construction projects and brings them to the ReStore, where they can be sold.
 
In 2004, our Blanco County Chapter was established after months of planning and organizing. The chapter raises its own funds, recruits its own volunteers, and selects its own families using Austin Habitat's criteria. It builds and repairs homes in Blanco County, just west of Travis County and Austin.
 
In 2006, Austin Habitat developed its Home Repair program. As part of a holistic approach to affordable housing, this program helps low-income homeowners make critical repairs to their homes. In 2009, we simultaneously ran the Chestnut Revitalization Initiative, a home repair program focused on revitalizing the traditionally African-American, culturally rich Chestnut neighborhood in east Austin.
 
In 2009, we established another chapter in Caldwell County, just south of Travis County.
 
In 2010, we became HUD counseling certified. Our newest program is open to the general public and offers the following core programs: home-buying 101, one-on-one home-buying counseling, post-purchase counseling, and foreclosure intervention. This program builds upon the rich history of AHFH’s educational programs, developed over many years to serve AHFH applicants and partner families.  
 
In 2010, Austin Habitat was also selected by Habitat for Humanity International to participate in the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative. The NRI is a multifaceted strategic response to the profound challenges that communities throughout the United States are facing due to the subprime mortgage crisis, the historic increase in home foreclosures and the fallout from the worldwide economic recession.

At Austin Habitat, we continue to stand at the forefront of national efforts to fight substandard housing. Every year, we expand the way we work to serve more families and have a broader impact on a neighborhood community level.