Habitat for Humanity’s Home is the Key campaign celebrates the moments that make a house a home in a year where home was never more important
At Home, Carrier, Sherwin-Williams and U.S. Bank Foundation join Habitat to raise awareness and support of Habitat’s mission in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic
ATLANTA – RealEstateRama — The new classroom. The office. The restaurant. The gym. The refuge.
Over the last year, homes have become so much more than the place where families lay their heads at night. Home has been the first line of defense against the pandemic, and the center of our lives.
As the nation recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and moves toward greater economic stability, Habitat for Humanity is joining four partners — At Home: the home décor superstore, Carrier, Sherwin-Williams and U.S. Bank Foundation — to shine the spotlight on home and raise awareness and support of Habitat’s work in the U.S. and around the globe.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, one in seven families were spending half or more of their income on their rent or mortgage. Often, these households are forced into choosing between paying for a safe place to live and other basic needs like food or health care. The economic turmoil caused by the pandemic has both increased and hastened the need for stable, affordable housing.
Marking its fifth year in 2021, Habitat’s Home is the Key campaign will call attention to the need for affordable housing and raise funds to help families and individuals achieve stability through shelter. The campaign, running throughout April, highlights Habitat’s strategies to improve communities across the nation and the important role homeownership plays in helping them thrive.
“Sheltering in place to combat the COVID-19 pandemic has been a key focus for people around the world for the past year,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “There are millions of people who continue to live in unsafe housing, are on the brink of losing their homes, or who face the difficult decision of a safe place to live and other basic necessities, like food and health care. Because the cost of home is so unaffordable, they are unable to shelter safely. Through Home is the Key, we hope to shine light on how important home is to the safety and security of our families. We thank our partners for their help and support in addressing this challenge.”
Through the Home is the Key campaign, the four partner companies are making direct financial contributions to Habitat as well as engaging their customers and employees about the importance of affordable homeownership.
At Home: the home décor superstore, in its fifth year as a Home is the Key sponsor, returns as a major brand partner to shine light on the critical need for affordable housing. To date, At Home has donated over $1.6 million to Habitat.
U.S. Bank Foundation has supported local Habitat organizations across the country for over 30 years, providing more than $125 million in charitable contributions and investments. The organization expanded that support last year by participating in Home is the Key for the first time and is continuing its engagement in the campaign this year.
Carrier, a first-time supporter of Home is the Key, joined the campaign to spread awareness that home is the key to supporting health, and to help Habitat ensure that families, who are spending more time at home than ever before, can take steps to make their living and working spaces healthier. Carrier has provided financial support, product donations and employee volunteer hours to local Habitat organizations since 1995.
Also joining the campaign are the Sherwin-Williams retail paint stores. Sherwin-Williams participation is helping Habitat create meaningful impact in communities across the country and supporting access to safe and healthy housing. The Sherwin-Williams Company has previously supported creating vibrant communities in partnership with Habitat by providing more than $34M in paint donations through its Valspar brand since 2015.
HGTV and iHeart Media are also partnering with Habitat to amplify key messages through social media, digital, print and radio.
People can support the campaign by donating online and by purchasing select products that send a portion of the proceeds back to Habitat. Habitat also encourages using #HomeIsTheKey on social media and visiting habitat.org/homeisthekey to learn more.
About Habitat for Humanity
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity found its earliest inspirations as a grassroots movement on an interracial community farm in south Georgia. Since its founding in 1976, the Christian housing organization has grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.
