By Caitlyn Baylor

Have you read the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report? It’s a very sobering assessment of the unprecedented and irreversible climate changes underway throughout our world.

You will often hear us say that Habitat for Humanity works to create a world where everyone has a decent place to live. A big part of this, naturally, is creating shelter itself. But in the face of the climate crisis and increasingly intense meteorological patterns, this vision needs to account for the reality that, without intentional intervention and strategy, climate change is only going to compound the existing inequities in housing. 

Here in the United States, a key piece of climate-related housing inequity is access– or lack thereof– to energy efficient housing.  

An “energy burden gap” is widening, in which lower income households are starting to pay disproportionately higher costs for utilities relative to their income, while higher income households are finding ways to disproportionately lower their cost for utilities through costly additions like solar panels, geothermal heating, and tankless water heaters. Another way to look at this gap is that the amount you must pay for your utilities per square foot of housing can be radically different depending on your circumstances. 

Rental units that are older and outdated tend to be more affordable in their base-cost for families with lower incomes. But lower cost housing is significantly less efficient than newer and higher cost housing stock, so the potential savings on rent is offset by the higher utility costs. With temperature extremes on the rise, some low-income families are paying as much every month toward utilities as they already pay in rent or would pay toward a mortgage. This is particularly troubling because according to Energy Efficiency for All, high utility bills are the “primary reason that people resort to payday loans, which play an outsized role in the perpetuation of poverty” (Energy Efficiency for All). The need for efficient housing options tailored to low-income households is clear. 

To begin to bridge the disconnect between energy efficiency and low-income communities, one step Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity took in 2018 was to start partnering with ComEd to construct our homes to the highest standards of energy efficiency. We wanted to ensure that as home buyers moved from outdated rental units into their new homes, they would leave the energy burden behind. For this partnership, we must meet 13 criteria as we build, from using energy efficient appliances, mechanicals, and lighting throughout to installing lower flow toilets and faucets to insulating with things like air-tight windows.

We are also working to connect our homeowners to community solar farms so that even without making a high-cost upfront investment in solar panels, they can enjoy some of the cost-savings associated with using solar energy. 

One of our recent homebuyers, who had been renting an older house before closing on her loan, shared: “My monthly bill is half of what I paid in the past. I have never seen a monthly bill this cheap in years! My [utility] bill in my new home is a blessing.”

The energy burden gap is one of the many emerging inequities that makes addressing the human impact of the climate crisis so complex and important. As housing providers, we have a duty to remain mindful of the new housing disparities springing up in our changing world, and to play a part in closing the energy burden gap by making energy efficiency more equitably accessible for all. 

Meet Amy, one of our ReStore cashiers! When you shop at the ReStore, there’s a good chance that Amy will be running the register, stocking shelves, or providing awesome customer service by answering any questions you have.

Amy has worked at the ReStore for around seven months, but before joining the team, she was a ReStore customer for a couple of years. She loved coming to the ReStore to look for great deals.

Her favorite section of the ReStore when she was a customer is still her favorite section as a cashier: housewares. Amy loves to find all of the quirky, thrifty, unique items that are donated to the store.

She also enjoys interacting with coworkers and customers, and says that it’s fun to get to know the regular ReStore shoppers. She appreciates the impact the ReStore has on these customers, as well as the entire community.

“I like that [the ReStore] is helping people,” Amy said. “And when people come in to shop, they’re able to get something for a really cheap price that they couldn’t get anywhere else. I like that it’s beneficial to people outside the store, but also that it’s beneficial to people who come in.”

On top of working at the ReStore, Amy is a graduate student studying Biology. She enjoys all things computers, loves animals, and likes to get outside when the weather is nice.

We are so appreciative of all that Amy brings to the ReStore! Thank you, Amy, for being a part of our team!

Q: How would you describe your role at RAHFH?

A: My role at RAHFH is Development Director. My role at RAHRH is to oversee all aspects of the fundraising program. That includes building relationships, soliciting and executing fundraising events.

Q: What is your history with Habitat? How long have you worked with RAHFH? 

A: I am new to the RAHFH family. I have worked with the organization for three months. 

Q: What do you love about Habitat? 

A: There are 2 things that really stand out to me about RAHFH. I love that we give Rockford Area families the opportunity to purchase their own homes. I also love our staff. 

Q: What is one of your favorite moments/ memories of working with Habitat?

 A: My favorite moment was writing a “hidden” dedication to one of our families after helping to frame the walls to their new home. Volunteers can use markers to write blessings to the future home owners. 

Q: What makes you passionate about your work?

A: Building partnerships with people drives me in my work. We partner with our families to build their home and to create a relationship that is mutually beneficial for both of us. These partnerships can last a lifetime. The same thing happens when we build relationships and partner with businesses and organizations. I get so excited when I am able to connect people that didn’t even know that they could help one another.  

Q: What is one fun or surprising fact about you?  

A: In the same day, I taught one of my kids how to ride a bike, taught another one of my kids how to drive, and legally got a beer with another one of my kids.

Q: When you’re not serving with HFH, what are you up to? What do you do for fun?

A: When I am not at work I am driving my children to MANY sporting events. I enjoy traveling, spending time with friends and family.

Like so many of our homeowners’ stories, this story starts with the dream of owning a home. Unlike most of our stories, that is also how it ends.

Betty says owning her own home was something she always dreamed of, but in 2008, she was renting what she calls “a cramped little apartment” with her five-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son. As fate would have it, she was also working at a local television station, where Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity’s Executive Director arranged a television spot to advertise the upcoming application opportunity for Habitat’s homeownership program.

Betty decided to apply for the program she learned about at work that day. She remembers being told that she would get a call if she was accepted into the program, and she remembers how anxiously she awaited a phone call telling her yes. “When we got that call,” Betty recalls, “my children and I just celebrated and rejoiced right in our little living room.”

Betty completed the partnership requirements of the program – going through homebuyer education classes and helping to build her house— and her little family of three moved into their new home on Montrose Avenue the next fall (the photo above was taken while the home was being built). 

The first thing she started doing was landscaping and working to make the yard feel like home. She planted what she thought was a little bush in the front yard. And as that bush started to grow, life for her family started to change.

Her little kids started playing outside in their spacious yard. Her older kids and grandkids got to come over more than they could at the small apartment. She started hosting and decorating for the holidays. Her little ones got to have birthdays at the house, and parties. They had shared a room for five years, and the house gave them their own space to start to grow up in. 

“Looking back with hindsight at the last twelve years, I can see that our house just made us closer as a family,” Betty reflects. “It made us more relaxed because we did not need to worry about where we lived. It allowed each of us in the house to focus on our dreams. It gave us wings.”

Betty also became close with her neighbors over the years. As she got to know them, she got to know their stories too. One of her neighbors, now in her mid-90s, had lived there since the street was a dirt road. Another neighbor, Betty learned, was the one who sold Habitat the lot that Betty’s house was built on.  Betty recalls this fact with a sense of significance – it is not lost on her that this woman’s decision all those years ago helped make her own dream come true.  

In August of this year, it became Betty’s turn to make a dream possible.  She retired from her job at the television station with plans to move out of town. In a powerful decision that brought her life full circle, she decided to sell her house back to Habitat so that we could sell it to another family.  

“Sitting at the title company table twelve years ago as the buyer was the most exciting thing I have ever done in my life. Knowing that I could actually buy my own, brand-new house was the greatest feeling in the world,” Betty says. “But then selling the house back twelve years later— knowing I was giving someone the same opportunity I had – that absolutely filled my heart. I know so well the way that dream feels, so to know I am making that dream come true for someone else is indescribable.”

Today, that “little bush” that Betty planted in her front yard has become a beautiful, 40-foot Italian cypress tree. It casts a long morning shadow across the front lawn and makes the house look charming and refined. We passed under that tree earlier this month as we walked up to the house on Montrose Avenue to show it to another woman for the first time. She currently rents a small apartment, and we were there so that she could see if it might be the right house for her and her family. She has always dreamed of owning a home…

Sehade is one of the newest members of the Habitat team, and we are already blown away by her amazing work as our ReStore Director! We hope you enjoy getting to know a little bit about her through this Q&A.

Q: How would you describe your role at Habitat/the ReStore?

A: I would say my role has many layers to it. Ensuring our store is community responsible, our team is valued and drives our core mission, and that we build a culture that fosters great relationships between our volunteers, customers, and store team.

Q: What is your history with Habitat? How long have you worked with Habitat?

A: I have been with Habitat for an exciting 4 weeks! It has been an amazing experience thus far. Growing up you hear all the great tales of what Habitat for Humanity does for their communities, so it’s a such a great feeling to be involved in that process.

Q: What do you love about Habitat?

A: What I love most is the stories! The stories of the single mom who works 2 jobs to provide for her family, and we are able to come alongside her and provide her with affordable home ownership. That to me is what it’s all about.

Q: What makes you passionate about your work?

A: I grew up as an immigrant, in a poor household. Home ownership was not something within reach for my parents, so to be able to see the impact we are making for families is heartwarming. 

Q: When you’re not at the ReStore/ Habitat, what are you up to? What do you do for fun?

A: When I’m not at RAHFH, you can catch me spending time with my husband and my 5- & 3-year-old, being the annoying parent to my 19-year-old who serves in the Air Force, or my 18-year-old who just got accepted to UW Madison (very proud mom here).

Q: What is one fun or surprising fact about you?

A: Fun fact….when I was 4 my brother and sister broke my arm by dropping the couch on it when I was trying to catch our parakeet they let loose.

Orlyn Huwe was one of Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity’s most dedicated long-term supporters. He was kind, generous with his time, and passionate about pursuing a way for everyone to have a decent place to live and call home. He was a committed ReStore volunteer, and when our newer ReStore building opened on Harrison Avenue, the store was dedicated to him.

We are humbled to pay tribute to Oryln through the above photos documenting a few of the many moments he spent serving with Habitat and the ReStore. Additionally, we are honored to share some statements from Tonya Thayer (former executive director of RAHFH) and Ed Leach (longtime RAHFH volunteer and current board member), both of whom worked closely with Orlyn over the years.

Here are a few direct quotes from a conversation with Tonya about Orlyn and his impact within Habitat:

“When we were looking for new site supervisors, Ed Leach used to say, ‘They don’t have to know how to build a house, they just have to know how to lead people’. Orlyn Huwe is a great example of a house leader who doesn’t know a thing about building a house, but built a great house every year because he knows how to lead people.”

“Orlyn always felt like fellowship was important, and he would have a cookout in his backyard for all the ReStore volunteers every year, so that they’d have a chance to get together outside the ReStore and get to know each other on a different level. The first year he did that, he had an amazing garden, and he gave us all a tour. He had his raised-bed garden, and he showed us his raspberries, and he walked us all through his very elaborate garden. And I remember he had a bat house, but he didn’t have any bats in it, and he really wanted to figure out how to get bats to his bat house to eat the bugs to save his garden. He had us all trying to figure out ways to lure bats into his bat house.”

“[He was a] very kind man. He was giving, and he accepted people exactly as they were. He was nonjudgmental, and I think that’s why he did so well with Habitat, because he didn’t see the bad in people. He only saw the potential, the positive, the drive, the good. He was that way with the homeowners. He met them where they were at, he helped lift them up.”

“I always appreciated the fact that even though he was a retired pastor, anytime he did a blessing, he was always careful to include everyone. He was inclusive long before people were talking about inclusion.”

“I also love the fact that he made me redo his name tag and take the word ‘pastor’ off of it. He wanted just to be Orlyn. Because he didn’t want people to act different. Or in his words, ‘people act weird when they see the word pastor’. He wanted to just be Orlyn, and he wanted people to know him as that. And he could be himself, and they could be themselves.”

“He had a love for Habitat, because he believed that everyone deserves a safe place to stay. He had a love for the garden. He had love for the earth. He helped us put in rain gardens in a couple of houses, so that where their gutters were, we put in rocks, and we made it natural. And it was important for him to teach the homeowners about the rain garden, and about protecting the earth. He loved his wife Rita. Everything was about Rita, and his grandkids, and his sons. He loved his family. He was a good man.”

“[He was] a very kind man. He was giving, and he accepted people exactly as they were. He was nonjudgmental, and I think that’s why he did so well with Habitat, because he didn’t see the bad in people. He only saw the potential, the positive, the drive, the good. He was that way with the homeowners. He met them where they were at, he helped lift them up.”

Tonya Thayer, Former RAHFH Executive Director

Ed Leach shared the following statement to remember Orlyn:

“I have known Orlyn since May of 2000, when I started helping Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity. He was the site leader for the Rockford Lutheran ministries sponsored home. As I later learned was his habit, he greeted, and welcomed me to the site making me feel welcome. He let me fit in where I felt comfortable, and was complimentary of my efforts. We worked together through that year, and after finishing the house, he invited me for coffee. This coffee had a secondary agenda, as he invited me to join the board of Habitat, and lead construction activities. He was complimentary of my efforts, and ‘hooked me in’.

This habit of being complimentary of each person’s efforts is part of what made Orlyn a very special person. He was always a superb site leader, because he could draw in and keep the volunteers returning. Each year, his ‘crew’ would return to build another house.

Orlyn had a strong belief in the Habitat cause of providing housing for the struggling people of our community. Several years ago, Orlyn decided that building houses was no longer the best use of his talents, so he helped establish the ReStore at North Town shopping center.

Since the store opened Orlyn regularly helped on most days they are open. He greeted the customers and helped them with their purchases. While selling the merchandise he also “sold” Habitat’s mission, of helping struggling people to achieve their goal of home ownership.

Orlyn helped with the relocation of the ReStore, within North Town, and again when it was moved across town to near Cherryvale mall. After the store was firmly established at its new location, he started easing out of his active role there.”

“This habit of being complimentary of each person’s efforts is part of what made Orlyn a very special person. He was always a superb site leader, because he could draw in and keep the volunteers returning. Each year, his ‘crew’ would return to build another house.”

Ed Leach, Longtime RAHFH Volunteer and Current Board Member

Once again, as an organization we are honored that we had the opportunity to know and serve alongside Orlyn. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Orlyn’s obituary can be found here.

Doris is our ReStore Donation Coordinator, and we’re so thankful that she is on our team. Below is our Q&A with Doris– we hope you enjoy!

Q: How would you describe your role at the ReStore?

A: I am everything donations! I schedule our truck for business and residential pickups that we do Tuesday through Saturday. I also take calls/or call back donors who are looking to drop off donations at the ReStore. In addition to that, I schedule days for our drivers to recycle scrap material and cardboard. I am also responsible for celebrating birthdays each month for our team of employees and our “True Blues”!

Q: What is your history with Habitat/ the ReStore? How long have you worked with RAHFH?

A: I have been with RAHFH for 2 years and have loved every moment of it!

Q: What do you love about Habitat?

A: I have always wanted to work for a not-for-profit and RAHFH was at the top of my list! I love how RAHFH is about everything community. Providing safe and affordable housing for families in our community is an amazing thing to be a part of. The ReStore plays a huge part in items not going into our landfills, as well as providing items for re-sale at affordable prices.

Q: What is one of your favorite moments/ memories of working with Habitat?

A: One of my favorite memories so far was attending my first Home Dedication in the fall of 2019. It is a memory that I will take with me forever. I am looking forward to being able to attend them again soon!

Q: What makes you passionate about your work?

A: Our team and volunteers make the ReStore a happy place to work at every day. Also, I get to end each one of my calls with “Thank you for your donation”. That fills my love bucket every day!

Q: What is one fun or surprising fact about you?

A: I used to play the cello. I wish I had not stopped playing but I enjoyed the time that I did!

Q: When you’re not serving with HFH, what are you up to? What do you do for fun?

A: Spending time with my family and friends are a top priority for me! My husband and I love to take road trips to various states to visit family and friends. I also love to read.

Keri’s story with Habitat for Humanity began when she was a 19-year-old resident assistant at her university. She needed to do a community service project and McDonough County Habitat for Humanity was the option that was still available. Keri signed up and invited other students to come with her. Before she knew it, she was one of 12 freshman girls showing up at a Habitat for Humanity worksite on a Saturday morning at 8am.

“I just had this life changing experience… this really cool moment of clarity on that worksite,” she said. “And I just kept going back.”

And the longer she continued with Habitat, the more motivated she was to stay involved.

“It was so empowering. It was so amazing. It filled my soul,” Keri said.

After she graduated college and moved to DeKalb, Keri quickly found the Habitat affiliate there. She volunteered on Saturdays, got involved in the chapter at NIU, and was invited to be on the affiliate’s Board of Directors. In fact, at the first meeting, she was sworn in as the board’s vice president. She served on the board for nine years, and for a large portion of that time, she was involved with hurricane relief work.

“I went to Pensacola for two years to do Hurricane Ivan relief work over spring break… we partnered with the Pensacola affiliate,” she said “I just loved the comradery, I loved the empowerment, I loved it.”

After Hurricane Katrina, the DeKalb affiliate was contacted by the Habitat affiliate in Slidell, Louisiana. Their city had taken a massive storm surge off of Lake Pontchartrain, and two miles of the city were completely demolished. The Habitat affiliate was hoping to build 100 homes, and they reached out to other affiliates across the nation, asking for help. When Keri got the letter, she put an ad in the newspaper and recruited volunteers. The community came together to provide volunteers and funds for builds in Slidell, and Keri went with a group from DeKalb down to Louisiana for one week.

“I thought that my time with Habitat was life changing before that, but this was… this changed my life. It changed my life,” she said. Then, with a matter-of-fact look on her face, she added, “So I went back 12 times.”

In the following years, Keri used every bit of her vacation and personal time off to take groups back to Slidell.

There’s no casual way to slip this in here, but a fun fact about this season of Keri’s life is that in 2010, she was nominated as one of Oprah’s Everyday Heroes for her volunteer work with Habitat, and she actually got to go to Oprah’s Favorite Things episode! Make sure to ask her about it sometime.

Throughout the years of volunteering during her free time, Keri was working another full time job, and this rhythm of life was beginning to be exhausting.

One day, her sister randomly sent her an email, saying that Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity was looking for an Executive Director. The text in the email said, “Maybe you could take a real vacation now.”

Something about that clicked for Keri. And even though she didn’t think she’d get the job, she applied and showed up in Rockford for an interview in July of 2014. Spoiler alert: she was hired.

Keri says that at the time, she didn’t know how to run a nonprofit. But she thinks that the group that interviewed her saw something deeper than that.

“I think what they saw was my love. They saw my passion, they saw that I’d given so much of my life to Habitat, and I could learn to be an executive director,” she said. “My love of Habitat… I could do that every day. I could spend my life in this ministry, and not just my vacation days. Because it’s hard when you fall in love with something and you have limited resources to do it, or limited time to do it, but now I get to get up every day and do this.”

Keri has now been the executive director of Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity for seven years. She leads this organization with determination and passion, and the love that was visible during her job interview in 2014 is still visible today.

“I love a lot of things about Habitat. But I think the thing I love the most is knowing that every night, hundreds of kids are safer,” Keri said. “I love our Habitat kids.”

One of her most vivid memories from the last seven years is watching a three-year old member of a Habitat family walking in his yard and feeling grass on his bare feet for the first time. She says she can still see him laughing with joy. Another favorite moment is when the daughter of a Habitat homeowner sang at a Habitat volunteer appreciation event, and thanked all of the volunteers for building her and her mom a home.

“Those are the moments that I hold deep in my heart,” Keri said. Those are the moments that keep Habitat’s mission in focus for her.

“I’ve met so many incredible people. They drive me to want to do this. But I think the thing that really solidifies it for me is that we have a tangible opportunity to solve an actual problem.  And Habitat for Humanity is a solution to a huge problem that most people take for granted. We get to do that. It’s humbling. It’s super humbling,” she said. “It’s a legacy solution. We’re not just solving the problem of the person who’s purchasing the house then– we’re creating a cycle. We’re creating a legacy. We’re creating financial stability and opportunity, but we’re also allowing that wealth to be distributed later on in life. And we’re teaching kids that you don’t have to go from place to place, you don’t have to live in scary neighborhoods. The likelihood of the children of our homeowners being homeowners themselves triples.”

Our affiliate has been transformed by Keri’s hard work and passion for serving families in Rockford. We are so grateful for her leadership and the way she has dreams big for this organization. Thank you, Keri, and congratulations on seven years at Rockford Habitat!

Tracey is a born caregiver. In both her personal life and her career, she gives herself selflessly to the care of those around her.

Tracey was born and raised in Rockford, where she graduated from Jefferson High School.  Immediately following high school graduation, she entered school for medical assisting, and she started her career with Crusader Community Health in 2011. She says she loved it right from the beginning.

But after several years of caring for her community in this capacity, Tracey picked her life up and moved to Alabama to help care for her Grandma who was battling Alzheimer’s. After her grandmother passed, Tracey moved back to her hometown and was thankful to be able to pick back up with Crusader Community Health, where she has now worked as a medical assistant for nearly ten years. 

Tracey is also a mother of five beautiful children. She has four girls ranging in age from 11 to 3, and she has a baby boy who will turn 1 this summer.  She said that this big undertaking of building and buying a house is for them. “I have been renting ever since being out on my own, but you know, that is not something that is going to be in the family for my kids. Plus I didn’t have control over the conditions as a renter. We were in places with mold. We were in one place where the ceiling ended up falling in, and water was coming right into the kitchen. With a new baby coming, I knew I needed to get my children somewhere safe.”

That is what spurred Tracey to listen to her brother who was encouraging her to apply to buy a home through Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity. She said she was not very familiar with the program, and she did not want to pursue something that was going to feel belittling, but by the end of the application session that she attended, she says it was already starting to feel like family. When she received a phone call at work a few weeks later saying she was approved to buy a home, she was overjoyed.

 Now that construction is underway on her future home, Tracey says she is full of constant excitement. “It’s just a nice warm feeling,” she says with a beam. “To see the smiles on the faces of my kids – you can’t believe what a good feeling that is. Just seeing them happy is everything to me.”

Tracey’s oldest daughter is looking forward to having her own room and painting it pink and purple. Tracey says that this opportunity especially means a lot to her older girls, who have been there with her through everything and understand what a big change it is. For her younger kids, Tracey reflects that this beautiful house will be all they ever know.  

As for Tracey, she is most looking forward to the kitchen, because she loves to cook for her family. She said she’s also looking forward to not having any concerns about leaking and safety.

“I am just so grateful for this opportunity” Tracey says. “Because of this house, I am going to raise my family in OUR home, and that is an amazing thing.”

Kelly is one of our ReStore managers, which means she does a little bit of everything at the ReStore—from working on the donations dock and the sales floor to running cash registers from time to time, she truly is (in her words) a Jane of all trades.

Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity was lucky enough to cross paths with Kelly back in 2009, when she donated a large haul of items to the ReStore. She was invited to sit in on a board meeting for Habitat, and then decided to join the board. After serving on the Board of Directors (and even serving as president of the board), Kelly started volunteering at the ReStore. She was eventually hired on as a full-time staff member.

For Kelly, volunteering and working with Habitat and the ReStore is deeply motivated by her desire to care for her community.

“I’m all about the mission. I truly believe that everybody should have the chance for safe and affordable housing, and the ReStore funds that. The cool part about the ReStore is that everything that comes in here, all of our sales and all of our donations stays 100% in Rockford,” she said. “So, what do I love about Habitat? It’s tangible. You can see the outcome. At the end of the year, we have a house. And that’s probably the coolest thing that we do.”

Beyond the ultimate purpose of the ReStore to further Habitat’s work, Kelly also mentioned how it can be a meaningful and comforting place for community members to donate their possessions and loved ones’ belongings.

“At the ReStore, so many people are giving away possessions… and sometimes it can be very hard. We had a full week where everyone was struggling to give away things… We gave a lot of hugs away that week,” Kelly said. “I always promise the donors we’ll find good homes for their things.”

Kelly is one of the rare people who couldn’t decide which of her many fun facts to share. The one she landed on was pretty unique.

“I used to travel for folk music. I’d work for singer/ songwriters, and I ran concert series and festivals. And I was a road manager, travelling around the country with musicians,” she said, proudly adding that “I can change a guitar string in the dark in one minute and fifty seconds.”

Kelly is also an avid tennis fan— when she’s not at the ReStore, she’s most likely watching tennis, playing tennis, teaching tennis, or traveling to tennis tournaments.

Thank you, Kelly, for your enthusiasm and heart that you put into all that you do! You are so appreciated.