Austin
Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities, and
hope. Austin Habitat focuses on the holistic experience of homeownership as a
catalyst for community change. Austin Habitat goes beyond the well-known new
homeownership program by also offering critical home repairs to low-income
homeowners and housing counseling to the general Austin community. Our programs
are designed to develop and preserve strong communities by providing
comprehensive services that prepare homebuyers for the responsibilities of
homeownership, incentivize long-term ownership, and keep existing homeowners in
their homes.
This shot of our
Community Home Center is one of our favorites. This photography was generously
donated to us by Austin Pro Photo, a local company specializing in commercial
and portrait photography. We want to thank them for delivering such beautiful
work!
Once upon a time, Austin boasted one of the
more affordable housing markets in America. It was a buyer’s market and a
city where the American dream of homeownership could become reality. Perhaps
this is one of the reasons behind the massive influx of population, but with
that influx comes another, more harmful increase—housing prices. They rose and
rose until the phrase “the American dream” changed into “the American pipe
dream.” The effects of this go well beyond dropped homeownership rates. It
drops income rates and pushes the haves and have-nots further apart.
As vice chair of the Austin Habitat for Humanity board, I became familiar with Ikram
Nassif’s story. She moved to Austin after fleeing Beirut, Lebanon, in 1998.
Shortly after, she moved into government-subsidized housing and began the job
she still has to this day, as a housekeeper at the Four Seasons. Despite
working long hours for 17 years, Ikram could never afford to move out of
subsidized housing, not with three children to feed and clothe and certainly
not in a city where housing costs have skyrocketed.
Nassif is one example of a systemic
flaw in our American dream: dedication and hard work will get you there as long
as your dedication and hard work are in a higher wage bracket. Unfortunately,
this is now truer for Austin than any other U.S. metro area. Our city has
become a major player in the wealth-gap game, and the issue can be tied
directly to housing.
According to a recent study by the Austin
Board of Realtors, the average home price in Austin is now more than $300,000.
In May, prices jumped $20,000 in only 30 days. These numbers have made it
impossible for anyone low-income to buy a home. With equity tied directly into
home buying, they also make it impossible for such a person to increase their
wealth.
The capital city’s job market is one
of the healthiest from a federal standpoint, but when you look in the
microcosm, you see most of the opportunities are created in low-paying jobs,
such as Nassif’s. This has an interesting effect. Unlike the national trend of
declining rates, Austin’s homeownership rate has stayed at 45 percent for more
than a decade. The increasing prices blocked out new owners and instead created
habitual renters. Now, as home prices rise, these renters don’t experience
wealth growth. Instead, they get increased rent, which decreases their wealth.
For people who are already low-income, this hit is devastating: 69 percent of
low-income Austin renters spend almost half their income solely on housing.
The issue is daunting, but as a city we recognize this.
Mayor Adler’s adamancy for more affordable housing is a step forward. As an
organization, Austin Habitat does more to combat these affordability issues
than many know. Here, I do not refer to breadth, but rather depth. It is
understood we build homes. It is not understood that our clients make mortgage
payments, physically build the homes alongside volunteers and are required to
complete financial and mortgage counseling courses. We also have a home-repair
program, which makes critical repairs to existing homes, and we offer free
financial services to the public. After 30 years and 395 homes built, we have
been fighting. We fight not just for affordability, but for sustainability. To
achieve this we must innovate.
With the landscape of Austin changing
so rapidly, land to build on is becoming scarce, especially for a nonprofit
that can be easily outbid by private businesses. This means we are faced with
the question: “How do we continue to serve people at the same rate?” We have to
adapt. We will begin constructing denser, two-story housing rather than the
sprawling one-story family homes we do now. Not only will it allow us more
flexibility with land, but it also does something much more impactful in a city
that desperately needs it: It allows us to serve more deserving, low-income
people like Nassif, who work their entire lives toward something which is out
of their reach even though they are the very backbone of our community.
Our programs cannot single-handedly solve our city’s
affordability crisis, and it will not turn the housing market around or make
income levels rise. We are only one organization. We will continue to change
the lives of our families as we have been for 30 years, but we cannot do it
alone. Austin Habitat needs community support. The city needs to listen to
Mayor Adler. In order to drive prices back down, Austin needs to build more
housing—but on a reasonable scale that doesn’t include luxury high-rises. We
need the American dream back before the wealth gap swallows us whole.
Ken Corby
is the vice chair of Austin Habitat for Humanity’s board and its current
interim CEO.
Ken is a servient, achievement oriented operator and
strategist leading enterprise growth through top line sales improvement,
process improvement and performance improvement. Performing in multiple
locations in the U.S., Europe, UK and Asian markets, he has led in situations
ranging from start up to distress to turn around to rapid growth, to wind down.
Ken was the CFO of a global consumer electronics company - Emerson Radio -
earning the number 11 spot in Business Week's 100 Hot Growth Companies.
Particularly adept at financial forecasting and planning, process improvement,
earnings growth, operations excellence on a multiple business unit level. Ken
emphasizes clear and on-going communication supporting transparency with
colleagues, board members, lenders and stakeholders. Skilled at leading and
directing acquisitions and divestitures on both the buy and sell side. Adept at
cross-functional partnerships and team building to deliver outstanding results
to operations, sales, marketing, distribution, analysis and business development.
Strong investor relations, capital raising and enterprise record. Ken served as
CFO of Kohlberg and Company's Nielson Bainbridge, an international
manufacturer, designer and seller of picture fame products. Prior to that he
was with the private equity firm of York Management Services. Following several
years in public accounting where Mr Corby earned his CPA, he was with the
Nabisco Foods finance group. Mr Corby is Board Chair to Austin Habitat for
Humanity and served as its Interim CEO. He resides in Austin Texas with his
wife Candice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Austin
Habitat for Humanity Amplify Austin:
As an Austin Habitat
for Humanity board Chair, I’m making an impact today by supporting them through
Amplify Austin. Join me, and your gift will help them to finish construction on
an affordable home for future homeowner Whitney and her son, Aaden. Click the
link to give!
Since Austin Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1985, we
have built over 400 new homes, repaired 248 existing ones, and educated over
10,000 individuals. As the need for affordable homes grows, we strive to ensure
that our mission of building homes, communities, and hope is realized in the
greatest capacity possible.
Since 2000, income levels have only risen 25%
while housing costs have risen 68%. This leaves many local families in
impossible situations. Currently, 53% of low-income Austinites are spending
almost half of their income on housing. This leaves little leeway for medical
care, groceries, school supplies, insurance, etc. The strain of this stress has
negative impacts on physical and psychological health, education, and upward
mobility.
Affordable homeownership can put an end to those
circumstances. It is the fastest way for a low-income family to accumulate
wealth. It is the most viable way to break the cycle of poverty and create
brighter, sustainable futures.
Being Austin Habitat
for Humanity board Chair, I will be pledging my Amplify Austin support to them
on March 8th and 9th. My gift will build hope for future homeowner Whitney and
her son, Aaden. Join me, and your giving will fund the construction of their
affordable home, empowering them to create a better future.
Meet Whitney & Aaden Washington
Whitney Washington is no stranger to hard work. At the age of 17,
she moved out of her parent’s home in Bastrop to begin supporting herself in
Austin. She received an education through American YouthWorks, and right after
her classes would take two buses across town to her job. For the past four
years, she has worked as a production clerk for Neubus. For the past two, she
has been simultaneously working one of the most important jobs that exists:
motherhood.
Aaden Washington (2) is wise beyond his years. He was moved into a
classroom with 3 year olds, can already count to 10 in Spanish, and is
beginning to learn sign language with Whitney. His education and well-being are
very important to her, but currently these things are suffering. The two live
in a small one bedroom apartment in a dangerous area. Whitney will not even let
Aaden on their porch out of fear for his safety, and
hides the
fact that there is a park nearby from him. Instead, she drives outside of the
city once a week so he can play in the outdoors. “The things I’m most excited
about are all about my son,” she says.
While making Aaden's life better is priority number one, Whitney
also looks forward to having more stability and being able to go back to school.
"I like my job, but I need a career. I did everything a little backwards -
the kid, the house, the career. I'm ready to get stable in my home and in my
life." She's also hoping to become a better cook, and can't wait to have
Thanksgiving at her home one day. "Hopefully I'll even be a soccer
mom!" she exclaims.
Whitney wants to thank everyone who is making this next stage of
her life possible, and "God bless you too!"
Whitney & Aaden Washington will be the recipients of all
proceeds from Amplify Austin. If you'd like to schedule your Amplify gift, you
can clickthis link.
If you would
like to be an Amplify ambassador for Austin Habitat on March 8th & 9th, a social
media kit is available for your use.
Austin Habitat for Humanity gives a hand up, not
a hand out. All of our homeowners pay a down payment, put in 300 hours of sweat
equity building their homes, and then pay a zero-profit, 30 year mortgage. They
work extremely hard to change their circumstances, and in order for us to
continue setting them up for success, we need the support of the community.
Please help us reach our goal of building 15
new, affordable homes in 2016 by donating to Amplify Austin. Affordability
continues to be one of Austin's biggest challenges, so take a stand against it
with us!
KTC Advisors business planning process
Meet the President:
Ken Corby
An achievement oriented operator and
strategist with more than 20 years experience leading enterprise
optimization, with significant domestic and international, multiple location
experience ranging from distress to turn around to rapid growth. Particularly
adept at finance, planning, process, growth, operations and M&A on a
multiple business unit level. I emphasize clear and on-going communication
supporting transparency. Skilled at leading and directing acquisitions and
divestitures on both the buy and sell side. Adept at cross-functional
partnerships and team building to deliver outstanding results to operations,
sales, marketing, distribution, analysis and business development.
We come to you, work with you to develop a solution that we then
implement together Local, Asia,
and various European countries we offer you a wide and deep level of proven expertise on numerous business
situations.
