More construction progress at 383 Jay Street! In these photos, regular Habitat volunteers ("Hammer & Saw") are installing mud sills and the center beam on top of the basement foundation walls. Next up will be floor joists, subflooring, and walls! Check the buttons below for upcoming volunteer opportunities!

Construction is humming along at 383 Jay Street. We've gone from a hole in the ground to installing the foundation footers, to installing the insulated concrete forms in just a couple weeks!

Thank you to all the volunteers that helped us kick off this home in great fashion, check out the buttons below for upcoming volunteering opportunities!

​JOSANA Neighborhood: Spectrum News journalist Andrew Freeman recently spoke with several residents in JOSANA to hear how homeownership has improved their neighborhood.

The interview includes kids who have grown up in the neighborhood, the Director of the Tyshaun Cauldwell R-Center for Hope, and Natasha, the new owner of the 100th Habitat home in the area!

Emma & Beechwood Neighborhoods: If you aren't familiar with Connected Communities, they are "Dedicated to building up EMMA and Beechwood neighborhoods from within by engaging residents, service providers, and community partners in our holistic approach."

Flower City Habitat for Humanity is one of many partners who are helping with this effort that encompasses everything from education, economic opportunity, health and wellness, and of course... housing.

Last week they presented a thorough quarterly update, including housing efforts. The link below will start the video at the housing update, but if you are interested in learning more about other neighborhood initiatives, just start the video from the beginning!

Construction has begun at 383 Jay Street and we need volunteers!

This home was made possible by a generous individual donor which means we have a lot of volunteer opportunities to help build it. Click the buttons below for availability. Some April shifts are open now and more will open on a rolling basis, so check back throughout the month for additional availability.

Looking to buy a Habitat home? Applications have closed on this one, but two others are accepting applications now, with more to come. Click the upcoming homes button for more information.

We are thrilled to announce that Flower City Habitat for Humanity, Habitat for Humanity International and 83 affiliates have received a transformational $436M gift from MacKenzie Scott!

Flower City Habitat will use $3.75M gift to address affordable housing shortage in Rochester.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (March 22, 2022) – Flower City Habitat for Humanity (FCHH), along with Habitat for Humanity International, and 83 U.S. Habitat affiliate organizations, has been selected to receive $436 million in unrestricted giving from American Author and Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Of that, Flower City Habitat for Humanity received $3.75 million. This transformational donation will substantially help further Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has equitable access to a safe, decent and affordable place to call home.

“We are extremely grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime gift from MacKenzie Scott,” said Matthew J. Flanigan, CEO & President of FCHH. “As we all know, there is a significant need for affordable housing in the City of Rochester and this generous donation will allow FCHH to provide a greater number of families with the opportunity for affordable homeownership in alignment with our mission of building homeownership, communities, and hope.”

Flower City Habitat’s initial plans for the funding include greater support of initiatives and programs that help city residents build stability, equity, and generational wealth through FCHH’s homeownership, repair, and advocacy programs.

Habitat International will use its portion of the donation to prioritize advocacy and programmatic efforts designed to dismantle systemic racism in housing. Specifically, the donation will allow Habitat to advocate for policy proposals and legislation that enable millions of people to access affordable housing through its Cost of Home advocacy campaign; increase Black homeownership in the U.S. by targeting current systemic barriers through a new initiative that will launch this summer; and leverage innovative capital investments that service communities of color.
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“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.”

With Spring showers and new beginnings in the air, we celebrated our latest home dedication on Smith Street! This home was made possible by Perinton Congregations for Flower City Habitat for Humanity and the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation. Congrats Franchesca!

Please help us thank Youth Build Cohort #10, for their incredible work over the last 8 weeks of construction training! When they started, 226 Saxton was just a hole in the ground and now the second story subfloors are all installed!

Learn more about the Catholic Charities Family and Community Services YouthBuild program at https://www.fcscharities.org/services/employment-skills/#youthbuild

226 Saxton Street is being built through our partnership with The Builders Exchange of Rochester and Rochester Junior Builders Exchange. Learn more at https://robex.com/habitat-build/

Women Build 2022 is kicking off strong, with our first 6 teams already signed up, over $20,000 raised, and our first creative fundraiser starting today!

The "Simply Homemade" cookbook contains recipes for comfort food that were gathered from Women Build volunteers, supporters, and Habitat staff members. Try some delicious new dishes in this 85-page book!

You will find selections for appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes, side dishes, breads, and desserts, all tested in the home kitchens of the people who submitted the recipes. Plus helpful tips like definitions of cooking terms, an equivalents chart, and pages devoted to cooking and eating healthfully, too!

The cost is $10 per book and all net proceeds will support the 2022 Women Build house at 195 Melville Street! (Net proceeds will be attributed to team goals after the sale ends.)

Get one for yourself or as a gift today!