Community and seven new Habitat families celebrate Whitney Young Circle development

Construction is well under way at Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco's new Whitney Young development in San Francisco, but on the night of April 28th the sounds of hammers, saws and drills were replaced with the excitement of community members, city officials, staff and volunteers gathered to welcome seven new families to the Habitat program. It was a brisk, clear evening. The view of the bay from the windows of what will be the families' new living rooms -- Tiburon, Treasure Island and the East Bay -- was stunning.

Recalling the strong partnership between Habitat Greater San Francisco and the Bayview/Hunter's Point community to bring Habitat's Whitney Young development to the neighborhood, Supervisor Sophie Maxwell stated: "They say it takes a village to raise a child, well it takes a village to raise a house too!"

Noting the history of the site and the efforts of both the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency and Habitat for Humanity to work together on the new development, Fred Blackwell, Executive Director of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, said: "This development is on the last parcel that was part of the original Hunter's Point Projects, so for us, this represents some closure. We are working on the continued redevelopment of the area."

Pacific Gas & Electric representative Jim Harris spoke of energy efficiency in the new Whitney Young complex: "The solar panels that will be used on the roofs of these homes were made possible by a $5,000,000 grant in 2004 that created the Solar Habitat Program, which provides all of Habitat's developments in Northern California with solar power. One of the Habitat staff members told me that some families are receiving a $5 per month energy bill, and that's a great thing."

Jose Juarez, a Habitat family member from nearby Keith Street, spoke of the happiness and benefits he has obtained by living in a Habitat home: "The impact that a home has on a family can be positive or negative. When our family lived in a two-bedroom apartment, we had no hope and we weren't motivated in school. When we were selected for Habitat, we couldn't believe someone would give us anything, and it changed our perspective. Now that we have our home, we've excelled in school, we volunteer all of the time, and we're probably over-involved in school activities. My brother couldn't be here because he's directing our school play. I hope that you will all find happiness in your homes and realize the same benefits that we have."

Each of the Whitney Young families was ceremoniously presented with the hard hats they will use to fulfill their sweat equity requirement on the construction site. They were proud and joyful, despite the chill of the icy wind blowing up from the bay.