Our vision is an equitable New York in which all people have access to healthy, affordable homes.

Founded in 1984 as an independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, Habitat NYC and Westchester has served more than 2,600 families in the five boroughs through home construction and preservation, beginning with our very first build on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, during the first-ever Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. Since then, Habitat NYC and Westchester has brought together thousands of New Yorkers each year who become part of the solution to closing New York’s racial homeownership gap.

Who We Serve

We serve communities that have been excluded from the homeownership market by centuries of unjust, racist housing laws and financing mechanisms. More than 80% of Habitat Homeowners are single, female, heads of household, and more than 95% of our Preservation clients identify as BIPOC. We support our families in becoming successful homeowners through financial and homeownership training and as an ongoing resource after they move into their homes.

How We Work

We are a non-profit developer and housing justice organization that builds a more equitable New York by creating, preserving, and advocating for, opportunities for families and communities to build equity through affordable homeownership. Using the tools of non-profit developers, community land trusts, limited-equity co-ops, and rental-to-ownership conversions, we are creating an infrastructure for equity with benefits that span generations and increase the wealth, health, and education of our communities.

Why Our Work Matters

With the support of thousands of volunteers each year, we’re working to address centuries of unjust, racist, housing laws and financing mechanisms that prevented communities of color from entering the homeownership market and shaped the geography of the wealth, health, and education inequality we see today.

  • “I grew up in a house because of my parents' sacrifice and dedication. I want the same thing for my girls."
    Vanessa G.
    Habitat Homeowner

Our Impact

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Families Served

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Years Serving NYC

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Volunteer Hours Served in 2023

 

 

Habitat for Humanity International Mission

Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.