For the past 19 years, Peninsula Habitat for Humanity has existed as an independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. Operating in one of the most expensive markets in the country, where less than 20 percent of the households can afford to buy a first-time home, we have helped to relieve the housing crunch with affordable Habitat homes scattered throughout the Peninsula - from East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Redwood City in south county, to Daly City, Brisbane, San Mateo, and South San Francisco in the north county. In total, we have served more than 110 families to date and will add another eight families to the program through our current construction project on Lincoln Avenue in Redwood City, scheduled for completion in 2009.

However, our success has not been without challenges along the way. As a small non profit organization, our ability to grow and extend our reach has always been weighed against budget, resource and staff constraints. Yet there was always the wish to do more: raise more money, build more homes and especially to serve more families as the cost of living and housing continued to skyrocket in the Bay Area. So if we had the opportunity to actually do more, shouldn’t we jump at it?

With that in mind, I am pleased to announce the merger of Peninsula Habitat for Humanity and Habitat for Humanity San Francisco, following unanimous approval of the board of directors on May 22nd. Effective July 1, the two affiliates will combine resources, boards, and staffs under the new moniker of Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco, building in Marin, San Francisco, and the Peninsula. After months of discussion and due diligence, both organizations have concluded that by joining forces and streamlining operations, together we can have a greater impact in the Bay Area. Each affiliate’s goal has always been to help more people with low incomes own a home and create a better future for their families; as one unified affiliate we are more resolute than ever in meeting this goal.

The news of this merger may come as a surprise. Whether you are a new or long-standing volunteer, donor, or partner, you may be wondering how the merger will affect you and whether your personal or business objectives will continue to be met under the new organization. I want to assure you that I have every confidence they will be. In fact, we believe that the merger of the San Francisco and Peninsula affiliates will allow us to better meet your needs. By consolidating overhead expenses and operational activities, we can leverage donations further, ultimately enabling us to build more homes and serve more families. The Peninsula will continue to be a major geographic focus of the merged organization; in addition to the Redwood City project that is already underway, Peninsula Habitat’s two other prospective projects in the pipeline – Terminal Avenue/Menlo Park and Mission Street/Daly City – will continue to move forward in their preliminary city planning reviews.

The merger of Habitat affiliates is not uncommon. Typically affiliates get their start as small grassroots organizations and as they reach a certain size may begin competing with neighboring affiliates for land and resources. Habitat affiliates in Philadelphia, Nashville, Los Angeles and many others across the country have gone through similar mergers. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the consolidation actually began last year with the merger of the East Bay and Mt. Diablo affiliates. After our merger, three primary local affiliates will remain: Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco, Habitat for Humanity East Bay and Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley.

I want to encourage you to read the FAQ (frequently asked questions) attached for additional information about the merger. I am also happy to speak with you directly if you have additional questions or concerns that are not addressed here (phone number and email address below).

Finally, I want to sincerely thank Mary Boughton, executive director of Peninsula Habitat for Humanity, for her dedication and service to this organization since 2004. It is with mixed emotions that I accepted Mary’s decision to remove herself from consideration for the executive director position under the merged organization. Over the past four years, Mary has provided sound strategic direction and management oversight of Peninsula Habitat – bringing her strong business acumen and years of corporate experience to help further the agency’s mission of eliminating poverty housing in San Mateo County. Under her leadership, the organization’s affordable housing program for low income families has reached new levels of success, completing several large housing projects and celebrating the construction of our 100th home on the Peninsula last year. We will miss Mary’s leadership, her enthusiasm and especially her unwavering commitment to Peninsula Habitat’s mission over the years, and wish her well in her new endeavors.

Assuming the role of executive director of Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco will be Phillip Kilbridge. Phil has been the executive director of Habitat for Humanity San Francisco since 2005. Prior to Habitat, Phil held a number of management positions in non profit, including development director at the Charles River Conservancy in Boston and executive director of Rebuilding Together Oakland. He also worked in state politics and on a number of political campaigns. A native of the San Francisco Peninsula, Phil holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from UC Davis and Colorado State University respectively. He is also a graduate of the Coro Fellows Program in San Francisco, a leadership program in public affairs. Phil and his wife Kelley live in San Francisco with their one-year-old son, Elias.

Please join me in welcoming Phil and wishing him much success in his new role.

From the beginning of Peninsula Habitat for Humanity, faith-based organizations have played a major role in helping to fulfill our mission of eliminating poverty housing - putting faith into action to build hope and transform lives. Like our parent organization, Habitat for Humanity International, Peninsula Habitat is founded on the belief that every man, woman and child should have a simple, decent, affordable place to live in dignity and safety. Through strong partnerships, local faith organizations have helped make affordable housing a reality for more than 110 families at Peninsula Habitat.

Recent faith events have been especially fruitful and will provide a significant influx of funding to cover construction financing and operating expenses at Peninsula Habitat's new Lincoln Avenue development in Redwood City, as well as volunteer labor to help build eight homes there. The events include:

• Valley Presbyterian Church (VPC), celebrating its jubilee (50th) year, has embarked on a determined effort to think and act big in its mission activities this year. So, the Portola Valley-based church decided to pledge $50,000 to Peninsula Habitat for Humanity beyond its yearly mission partnership support.
  
  Responding to the challenge, four members of the congregation formed the Holy Rollers Hammering for Habitat Homes, an amateur bike team that will compete in the grueling cross-country Race Across America bike race to raise more than $50,000 for Peninsula Habitat and affordable housing in the community. The church also held a gala auction event on April 26th, raising nearly $35,000 toward the congregation's goal. In addition, VPC held a special build event in honor of the team at the Peninsula Habitat construction site on May 16th. For more information or to make a gift to support the team, go to www.peninsulahabitat.org.



• Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (MPPC) raised more than $70,000 for Peninsula Habitat as part of its Compassion Weekend event, a unique annual outreach program that mobilizes thousands of members of the church congregation to volunteer in the community, helping to address key needs on the Peninsula in areas of education, healthcare, and humanity. More than 200 volunteers from MPPC helped build homes on the construction site over the two-day work project, April 26-27. As an original partner of Peninsula Habitat, MPPC has been a part of the vision of Habitat for Humanity on the Peninsula and left its mark on each and every one of the 104 homes that Peninsula Habitat has built, providing more than 12,000 hours of volunteer labor for Peninsula Habitat. In addition to Compassion Weekend, MPPC has an ongoing program to provide volunteers for Peninsula Habitat throughout the year as well.



• Peninsula Covenant Church (PCC) provided more than 50 volunteers at the construction site as part of its Beautiful Day event on May 17th, donning hardhats and rolling up their sleeves to work side-by-side with candidate families to help build their Habitat homes. PCC has recently become a mission partner with Peninsula Habitat, committing to long-term support to help complete the Lincoln Avenue project and many more on the Peninsula in the years ahead.

When Olivia Reidy and Avalon Pelligrini (pictured left to right respectively) selected a community service topic for their Personalized Learning Project (PLP) at school, the one thing they decided early on was to focus their efforts locally.

“I wanted to help the community,” said Pelligrini. “If [the charity] was far away, like Africa, you couldn’t really relate to it, but in the community you can see the impact.”

“When I first chose my PLP, all I wanted to do was to help someone, anyone. I did not really pay attention to what organization I was helping and why,” said Reidy. “I had found a brochure for the Peninsula chapter of Habitat for Humanity and thought it looked good enough. As my PLP continued, I looked more and more into this organization and realized how many people it helped and how much it helped them.”

The PLP, a requirement of students at the San Carlos Charter Learning Center, is a long-term assignment that begins in the 7th grade and concludes in the second half of the 8th grade. As part of their project, the girls organized a number of fundraisers, including bake sales, dance classes, a school assembly, and a tap dancing show at the local farmer’s market – by far the most lucrative of all their fundraising activities. In total, the girls raised more than $500 for Peninsula Habitat.

“Rarely does Peninsula Habitat receive such a generous gift from donors as young as Olivia and Avalon,” said Barbara Evans, Director of Development at Peninsula Habitat. “It just goes to show how big an impact any one or two people can make if you put your mind to it. We are very proud of Olivia and Avalon, and of course grateful for their fundraising on behalf of Peninsula Habitat families.”

Although the girls have finished their project, the experience has made a lasting impression. “I am definitely going to continue on with volunteering for Habitat for Humanity,” said Reidy. “I will keep raising money and when I turn sixteen I will start to build houses. Although this project was very hard, I enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment after each fundraiser was completed. It also felt good to know I was doing something to help others and not just myself.”

Longtime corporate partner Cisco Systems recently launched a Bay Area wide campaign to help raise funding for local affordable housing construction projects. Kicking off the campaign is the “2x4 Program,” which allows Cisco employees to purchase a 2x4 lumber stud that will be used in the construction of an actual Habitat home by Peninsula Habitat or one of the other local affiliates (East Bay or Silicon Valley). Donors are also given the opportunity to inscribe a message on their 2x4s to the Habitat homeowner.

As each Habitat family builds their home, 2x4 by 2x4, donors will enjoy the unique experience of knowing the home is forever inscribed with their messages of support. Under the program, 2x4s are purchased for $250 each, with Cisco providing matching funds that will double the overall amount raised from the campaign. On June 13th Cisco employees will participate in a Bay Area wide Cisco build day with all three local affiliates and have the opportunity to install the 2x4’s that they have purchased and inscribed.

Next weekend, Hellene and Kenneth Barillas will move into their new home—capping off the couple’s six-year sojourn through Guatemala, New Jersey, and throughout the Bay Area in search of a place to put down roots.

The two lean forward in delighted anticipation as they explain that their new home is five times the size of their current apartment. Hellene describes the apple and lemon trees growing in their new backyard. Kenneth speaks of the swing-set he plans to build for his two daughters, Alizza, age 4, and Maya, age 3. The two say they could barely believe their good fortune when they discovered their new home is just two short blocks from Alizza’s school.

But most of all, Hellene Barillas says they look forward to the day when they can tell their daughters, “This is your house. This is your property. No one can kick you out of here. You will never have to worry about moving to the next place. This is yours.”

Hellene and Kenneth Barillas met while living in Guatemala. Hellene was born there and immigrated to the United States in 1999. Kenneth was born in New Jersey, moved to Guatemala when he was 9-years old, and moved back to the United States in 2000.

The couple married in 2001 and for the last two years, the Barillas family has been living in a Redwood City garage that has been converted into a two-bedroom apartment. Before that, the couple lived off Redwood City’s Jefferson Avenue in a one-bedroom apartment that was twice as big, but increasingly home to a run-down community. They say that when new landlords stopped maintaining their property and checking residents’ credit reports, neighboring onebedroom apartments increasingly became home to 15-plus residents, loud parties, police inspections, and even drug deals. When the Barillas’ second daughter Maya was born, Hellene says, “We decided this was not the place we wanted to raise our family.”

It was around this time that the Barillas family sought the help of Peninsula Habitat for Humanity. At first the couple stopped by Habitat’s offices every two to three months, then more frequently until last year, the family learned they had finally qualified for a home in East Palo Alto.

Even with the nationwide downturn in housing prices, the median price of a single-family home in San Mateo County remains a steep $840,000. Families earning less than the region’s average of $86,015 have had to continue renting or leave the area altogether.

Both Hellene and Kenneth work full-time—she as a dental assistant and he in retail at Orchard Supply. With their combined salary, Hellene says, “There is no way we could have covered a down payment or an interest-only loan. There is no way we could have afforded a house without Habitat.”

To qualify for Habitat, homeowners must have a gross annual household income of between $40,000 and $56,550 for a family of four based on HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) guidelines. Once selected, families pay up to a third of their income toward their mortgage and put in 500 hours of “sweat equity” building their own or others’ houses. If and when they move out, Habitat buys the house back and resells it to other families that meet its criteria.

These so-called “resale” properties enable the original Habitat family to use the equity obtained from their Habitat home to acquire a new home on the open market, while also creating a new cycle of opportunity in affordable ownership housing for homeowners like the Barillas family. The Barillas home is Peninsula Habitat’s tenth resale property since 1989.

With two daughters and two full-time jobs, the Hellene and Kenneth admit it was difficult to meet Habitat’s 500-hour "sweat equity" requirement. But both believe it’s an important component of the program, and well worth the returns.

“The fact is if you’re not willing to put in the hours it takes, how are you going to put in the effort it takes to maintain a house?” Hellene says.

Kenneth says the most difficult part of "sweat equity" was the day he helped lay the concrete foundation for Habitat’s housing project on Redwood City’s Lincoln Street. That day, he and several other community volunteers helped lay 17 trucks-worth of concrete. It was, he says, “the most intense, difficult day of work we had.” But in some way the labor seemed to mirror the Barillas family’s struggle to lay their own foundation.

Now, with their "sweat equity" hours and final arrangements for their big move complete, the two say they cannot help but feel “blessed.” The Barillas family plans to use the money they will save in zero-interest mortgage payments for Alizza and Maya’s college education. Hellene hopes she, too, will now have the opportunity to go to dental hygienist school.

“We’re doing this for our girls. We hope they’ll never have to know what it’s like to move from one place to another. We hope they will invite their friends over to play. We hope life will be easier for them,” says Kenneth.

Special thanks to contributing writer Nicole Perlroth.