Tag Archive for: Asheville Habitat

Farewell to our longtime ReStore Manager

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In 14 years of managing Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore, Jay Sloan led the store to be the 3rd in the nation for sales – out of nearly 800 ReStores! Jay served as ReStore General Manager for 12 years and stepped into a position as ReStore Donations Manager in the recent two years to “ease into retirement” while Scott Stetson (formerly Assistant Manager) took the helm as ReStore General Manager. Asheville Area Habitat sincerely thanks Jay, who retired on June 30th, for his years of service and dedication to Habitat’s mission.

Recently, Habitat staffers and volunteers gathered at the store for a celebration to wish Jay well in his retirement. Many people spoke to his accomplishments and leadership style, sharing funny stories and sincere compliments. View the photos and watch the videos.

Scott said, “Over the years, Jay has armed me with the knowledge and the skills to run one of the best performing and most respected ReStores in the country, and I’m really proud to be a part of that. Jay taught me the value of our precious volunteers. He definitely taught me valuable lessons that will stick with me for many years to come here at the ReStore.”

Lew Kraus noted that from the year Jaystarted as General Manager in 1988 to the year he stepped down, sales increased by 1,170%. “Many of you have heard me say that 30 years ago it took us 18 months to build our first [Habitat] house, and now, we are starting a new house every three and a half weeks. Much of that is due to the success of the ReStore and the money it puts into this organization—and Jay, you’ve brought us there, so thank you for that.” Proceeds from ReStore sales are a valuable source of sustainable income to the affiliate, helping to cover AAHH’s administrative and fundraising expenses and provide funding for building programs.

Jay was quick to reply: “To hear everyone speak you’d think I did this all single-handedly. Well, it doesn’t happen that way. The reason this store has performed the way it has is because of staff and volunteers. They all wanted this store to be successful and to perform well… I want to thank all of you—you’re the reason the store is where it’s at today.”

Jay is now enjoying retirement with his wife, Dorothy, in South Carolina.

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Building in Honor of Pope Francis

This May, we began construction on The Pope Francis House, the first Habitat house in the nation built in honor of the beloved leader. This house is fully (financially) sponsored by an anonymous donor; local Catholic churches will take the lead in volunteer recruitment. Catholic and non-Catholic volunteers, local and non-local groups, will be invited to participate in the build. This house will become home to the Meadows family.

The Pope Francis House broke ground on May 13th and we raised the first wall on May 21.

To see photos from the wall raising, click here. To see the news coverage on WLOS, click here.

The purpose of this house is threefold:

• To honor Pope Francis for his commitment to social justice and reinvigorating the Catholic Church;
• To provide a unifying, celebratory opportunity for both Catholic and non-Catholic volunteers to work together towards a common goal (as Pope Francis says, “Work confers dignity.”); and
• To further Habitat’s mission of building and preserving homes.

Being built on an infill lot on Jeffress Avenue in Shiloh, the Pope Francis House is just around the corner from the Shiloh Community Garden, where Habitat helped build a garden shed and raised beds in 2013. Habitat also completed a number of Home Repair projects in the Shiloh community in the last few years and starting in 2016, ten new Habitat houses will be built just up the road off Taft Avenue.

“It is our hope, and that of the donor, that this project will serve as a model for other Habitat affiliates to partner with local Catholic churches and build in honor of Pope Francis,” said Lew Kraus, Executive Director of Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity.

Interested in bringing a group to volunteer on this house? Please contact Stephanie.

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Habitat Welcomes New Home Repair Manager

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We are pleased to welcome Hugh Lipham as Home Repair Manager. In this new position, Lipham will coordinate the day-to-day Construction Services operations of the Home Repair program including: inspection, scope of work, pricing, scheduling, project planning, subcontractor coordination and acceptance.

Lipham comes to Habitat from The Housing Assistance Corporation in Hendersonville, where he worked as Director of Residential Development for more than seven years. Having managed affordable single-family and multi-family housing development activities for that agency, he brings a wealth of experience in affordable housing. Prior, Hugh served as a field coordinator of the very highly regarded emergency home repair program at The Appalachia Service Project. Hugh is also a licensed general contractor in North Carolina and has spent time in management with a family-owned business.

Asheville Area Habitat was one of the first Habitat affiliates to introduce Neighborhood Revitalization (Home Repair) as an extension of its new house construction program in 2009. This expansion of housing services was part of Asheville Habitat’s Building a Way Home campaign to triple the number of families served by 2015. Since 2010, the affiliate has completed more than 70 home repair projects in Buncombe County, ranging in scope from repairing walkways and improving accessibility, to replacing roofs and upgrading heating systems.

Bringing significant knowledge and experience, Lipham is a welcome addition to AAHH as the affiliate works to expand its home repair program in the coming years.

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Asheville Area Habitat Seeks to Acquire Land

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Building a Way Home is a $5 million capacity building campaign that enables Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity to triple the number of families served by 2015. The $4.2M raised to-date through this campaign has allowed us to grow our ReStore, expand our services to include a Home Repair program, and build houses with families in need of safe, decent, and affordable homes.

With the cost of land critical to the affordability of a Habitat home, we are focusing on the acquisition of buildable land – while prices are still relatively low.

How to help us acquire land:
1. Adopt-A-Lot
Help offset the cost of land on a specific home in a Habitat neighborhood with a sponsorship. An Adopt-A-Lot sponsorship is $10,000 and donors receive sponsorship benefits including a listing on the lot and neighborhood sign during construction, updates on the family as they progress towards homeownership, and invitations to special events.

2. Land Challenge Grant
Designate your gift for the purchase of land, and it will be matched dollar for dollar by a local foundation (up to $100,000).

3. Land Donations
A gift of residential property helps to ensure the affordability of a Habitat home. Learn more about what we’re seeking here.

To learn more or to make a donation please contact Kit Rains, Development Director, at 828.210.9365 or email her here.

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