Habitat on the Hill 2023:

At Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity, we live by our commitment to bring people together to build homes, neighborhoods and self-reliance. This February, hundreds of volunteers, supporters, homeowners, resident leaders, and Habitat staff members gathered in Washington, D.C. for Habitat on the Hill.

Habitat on the Hill is Habitat for Humanity’s annual legislative conference where attendees learn about, and advocate for, policy solutions that advance home affordability at the local, state, and federal levels. Habitat for Humanity International has been partnering with Affiliates, including Fox Cities, to move advocacy work forward.

This year, some of Fox Cities Habitat’s staff members, along with Sebastian Arias, one of our Habitat family members, had the opportunity to attend Habitat on the Hill. This event brings together Affiliates from across the country to meet with their representatives with a united voice.

A Full Circle

“Habitat on the Hill was such an enriching experience for me! It felt nice to have my voice heard and also have the chance to give back.

I feel like I’ve been given a great opportunity through my parents’ partnership with Habitat for Humanity, so it was very rewarding to feel like I could help not only influence, but also give back for all that I have been given.”

– SEBASTIAN ARIAS
SON OF FOX CITIES HABITAT HOMEOWNERS

Son of Habitat homeowners speaking at Washington DC conference

Fox Cities Habitat staff, along with Sebastian, had the chance to meet with Senator Ron Johnson, Senator Tammy Baldwin, Representative Glenn Grothman, Representative Mike Gallagher and their staff to discuss needed solutions. In total, there were over 300 meetings with Representatives on February 9th. These meetings brought the opportunity to address policy, covenants, funding, taxes, workforce development, and more.

Finding a safe and affordable place to live is unattainable for many hardworking families. Soaring rent and home prices have led to a substantial rise in cost burdens. In Wisconsin, 1 in 8 households spend more than half of their income on housing, which forces families to make tough choices between paying the rent/mortgage versus saving for their child’s education or managing home maintenance expenses.

“Affordable homeownership opportunities are a dream that is increasingly difficult to achieve for hardworking lower income families, yet remains one of the most straightforward ways to build wealth and change trajectories.

Our affiliate network, working together, has a chance to educate our members of congress and policymakers on the problems and offer potential solutions. The work is ongoing, but I’m excited to see what we can accomplish together to tackle this housing crisis.”

– ERIC CERNJAR
FOX CITIES HABITAT DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

Our work, as it has traditionally been done, cannot scale to fix the problem of affordable homeownership. This problem is multi-faceted and is growing at an alarming rate. From staying up to date on the latest housing crisis news, to contacting your members of congress, and sharing information online and with your community, there are many ways you can help make change happen. Together, we will keep making it possible for more families to have a decent place to call home.

To learn more about how you can help support our efforts, sign up for our newsletter on the homepage, head over to our donate or sign up for more information on our volunteer page.

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