FW: blog

The crisis in NY where people are leaving, is real..our work now more important than ever..and our Faith in Action movement to help end poverty, more vital..

Your response as a blessing, a charitable act, a mitzvah, a Nehemiah builder..a carpenter like St Joseph, can change zombie homes into homes,

Urban blight to urban might…and much more..with hope and homes and hammers, and gardens..

 

With that in mind, we are blessed, Spring is here, tonite at 6pm volunteer orientation..we continue.

I would be remiss don’t forget about our Sandy families, still families are not back in their homes….from the Hurricane..tonite flooding happens, NYC was underwater, Mamoroneck..be ready,

We need to know that God wants us to be more resilient, to build to grow to help!

Are you ready to join the Theology of the Hammer? God bless you   

 

Jim Killoran, CEO

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

659 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 636-8335 ext. 101

 

The excitement is building. Sign up for our email newsletter at www.habitatwc.org

 

Poverty, because it’s not just in third world Countries. It’s in our world too. 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

Habitat for Humanity Westchester NY - 25 Years

Spring into action; the next 25 years!

 

 

 

 

 

FW: blog

Sat March Madness Habitat of Westchester style.  Fisher Catholic High school is in the Elite 9, the final four, the champions..six years in a row, though we have Malden Catholic coming from Boston to help too! awesome!

With that in mind, we are blessed to do what we do, to help to work with building vets homes, to help with rehabbing homes to help with repairing and revitalizing neighborhoods, all of the above!

This weekend we have Eastchester high school and Bronxville high school on board with us, working on sites..in yonkers and Con Edison employees and Byram Hills employees helping out..amazing!

We continue to work so that we can transform neighborhoods from Yonkers to Chappaqua, yes

Chappaqua. People wonder why towns like Chappaqua. It is part of a court order to build in towns that have not done any affordable housing…we are taking an old historic landmarked church and making two condos out of it…amazing, where we will build and rebuild them for two families..the density of our cities are horrific, no question…they are filled with fires, with an unhealthy density, with little green space, and more..with that in mind, the developers and planners, keep moving ahead, gentrifiying and knocking down, while taxes go up. Again yesterday New York is the most exited state in the country, for a reason, affordability is out of reach!  So building in towns like #Chappaqua @millwood, @chappaqua are paramount to a healthy new york.  Immigrants are stuffed into attics and basements, like sardines,…

Milleniels cant dream of owning here and parents sell their homes once kids are out of high school…something ludicrous, un-American, about this..to that end we continue stronger than ever…

 

We are blessed to do what we do, to help to change the face of this county….to be there for fire victims, like I was last nite, with a benefit for the Yonkers fire victims…50 families displaced…a week later ten others displaced..we were there to help.. to care to love to give free furniture..more than 262 famlies we have given free furniture to from our Restore…

 

We have the 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, largest cities in the state here…and a million people….all with an unhealthy development plan, causing fires, gentrification, and leaving of NY…come #NY lets go @westchester ..we have only just begun! Help us help them with a donation..email me jim@habitatwc.org to be a leader.

Make a donation today http://www.habitatwc.org

 

Jim Killoran, CEO

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

659 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 636-8335 ext. 101

 

The excitement is building. Sign up for our email newsletter at www.habitatwc.org

 

Poverty, because it’s not just in third world Countries. It’s in our world too. 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

Habitat for Humanity Westchester NY - 25 Years

Spring into action; the next 25 years!

 

 

 

 

 

FW: blog

Friday a little snow, but good to go, we continue!

We work hard, we work in Yonkers, New Rochelle, Ossining, Peekskill,

And more.

We are blessed to help. This week we held a luncheon for about 100, at our headquarters, we went ahead with

Our rehabbing of a home in Ossning for a senior, and we helped work on Veterans homes. Honored to have received an award for the work we have done with veterans in NewRochelle as well.

With that in mind, we also visit another vfw in Yonkers, to see if we can help rehab that as well…

We also deliver cabinets to another sandy family in the rockaways.

All of our work is for the fight for New Yorkers to be able to live here and survive here, and be here.

We are excited to get another piece of land on Moquardt Row,  a great historic place, where the steam from the factories used to help heat the homes.

Two more requests this week came in from disabled elderly person, as well as a family that had a fire and needed  supplies in Yorktown The work is endless.

 

 

Jim Killoran, CEO

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

659 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 636-8335 ext. 101

 

The excitement is building. Sign up for our email newsletter at www.habitatwc.org

 

Poverty, because it’s not just in third world Countries. It’s in our world too. 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

Habitat for Humanity Westchester NY - 25 Years

Spring into action; the next 25 years!

 

 

 

 

 

FW: blog

The theology of the hammer embrfaces wholeheartedly the idea that the love of God and love of man must be blended.  The word and the deed must come together. 

The results are wonderful..and sometimes spectacular stated Millard Fuller.

 

Putting ourselves intentionally in the direction of helping others, living our our faith in action is not an option to live our life fully.  Not only do we help others, but personally we are so enhanced it becomes unbelievable.  My life has been a journey, of faith in action, slips and falls, but when always turning to the love of God,

Able to realize that sharing that love in action, in the theology of the hammer is spectacular.!

Always after praying God puts amazing acts, people, in front of me to be part of, to help continue…

Seeing peoples lives changes through home ownership is amazing..seeing the kids who once built on their families home with sweat equity now grow up and

Succeed, is unbelievable…seeing them move ahead, like Sylvia or Natalie with their families, graduating college, doing amazing..only makes my heart

Move in directions that jump with joy in living out the hammer theology….

 

I just got back from New Orleans..an amazing city, having never gone there before Katrina..i have fallen in love with the people, the spirit, the jazz the music, the art, the food, the fun, all of the above..i call it the NewOrleans express and NewRochelle New Orleans North…!  

I was there when the city had no electricity, after Katrina, when we had to eat at a church food tent, when we went to help Maryluz Rivera and her husband and children return from there, and helped them to live in new home in Yonkers….amazing…now this Katrina family, is one who has been settled in a great home..the kids both graduated college, Syracuse, and Sacred Heart, all doing great….and the love of
God strongly in their hearts, moving ahead….Junior as the dad calls him, has done amazing as well as Zachary…

The dad often will sit outside…on a summer evening, and I will see him working loving life, enjoying his yard, his home, taking pride.  From develsltation to hope and homes…the theology of the hammer..

During this Lenten season I blog again..selfishly to remind me of the great mission…that we are called to live, of faith and action….get your congregation out building, help us spread and multiply the Ruah joy..(spirit filled joy) that God calls us to have to help one another…when this happens, SPECTACULAR LIFE EVENTS OCCUR..

Last as went to NOLA to look at a home one of ten families we are helping still trying to get back in their home..i met another gentleman at the airplane counter. Very accommodating, great guy….sharp, he helped us board our boarding passes,

Can you help my family….he asks after I tell him why were there, my mom and dad just lost their home in the devastating tornado (that hit about three weeks ago and devastated NOLA in the east, towards slidell)  this morning he sent me videos. Of the need…Coincidence…..Godincidence,  we pray and act today to help

 

And last in New York, where Sandy families still aren’t in, and sophisiticated zoning, creates horrible effects of people living in substandard housing and attics and basements…I meet all over the county…to get calls to help…the worst place for anyone to afford in the country…is New York….but Gods spirit, and Gods incidents of great people helping me with the theology of the hammer helped us work in 1800 sandy homes, on thousands of rehabs and projects here in the county too, w seniors and devestation, and new homes and rehabbing zombie homes… your turning your faith into action today with us, will create SPECTACULAR EVENTS..OF LOVE AND LIFE and an intergenerational New York like never before. God bless you! and God bless NOLA< NY, the country the world…

 

Jim Killoran, CEO

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

659 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 636-8335 ext. 101

 

Join our Martin Luther King Jr. Build-A-Thon January 10^th thru January 16^th! Sponsorships are available. Visit www.Habitatwc.org

 

Poverty, because it’s not just in third world Countries. It’s in our world too. 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

Habitat for Humanity Westchester NY - 25 Years

Spring into action; the next 25 years!

 

 

 

 

 

FW: blog

Its Friday, long weeks, weekends, 8 days a week to try to change the situation that exists..just to change wwhat is an obscene situation, no housing for its citizens, or workers. Luxury housing is glutting across the county

The obscenity that seniors cannot live here, that people cannot survive here,

That people have to leave here to Ct. to other states is crazy..

That is vital for all of us..

No question..Our heart of our mission is to build and rebuild simply and decently no question..

With that in mind we continue..

We build in Chappaqua, in Millwood, in Yonkers, in Ossining in Mt Veron, in NewRochelle, in Pelham, andmore..

We rehab seniors homes that are run down, we help stop foreclosures, we rehab hurricane sandy homes, we help fire victims, we design new neighborhoods.

With that in mind we are on a mission stronger than ever..

Along with that we have built 200 small homes in third world countries..

No question..

Join us and help us with your donation today, http://www.habitatwc.org

 

 

Jim Killoran, CEO

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

659 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 636-8335 ext. 101

 

Join our Martin Luther King Jr. Build-A-Thon January 10^th thru January 16^th! Sponsorships are available. Visit www.Habitatwc.org

 

Poverty, because it’s not just in third world Countries. It’s in our world too. 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

Habitat for Humanity Westchester NY - 25 Years

Spring into action; the next 25 years!

 

 

 

 

 

FW: blog

Happy Valentines Day!

 

Maybe everyday be Valentines for you…for us here, it is.

We see our ministry as a work of Love, of helping others, or coming together to help families live and

To have homes of hope, of health of transformation.  

We have been in existence for almost 30 years..Next year we celebrate a whole year of activity and

Success.  From all our work in disasters, to helping rehab Zombie homes, to transforming neighborhoods, to

Building green, Zero energy and Passive homes..we have changed generations of families lives.

 

I often say no one has the challenges we do in this county in the country.   We have the highest taxes, real estate is sky rocketing

And land being designated for luxury occurs quicker than I can get a piece of land for a Veteran returning from Iraq and their family.

However, with Gods help, and yours, our success becomes a reality!  Your donation brings Valentines to many in the form of a safe simple decent home!

Now more than ever we need your support.

 

Heres some of what we have been involved in.

 

Yonkers: Our vital work in Yonkers continues! We have been moving ahead helping so many. Just last week our West Point Cadets came and will be out two more times just in February, building on Veterans homes in what we call Battle Hill.   Our winter Warriors in the form of HOPES, habitat opportunities for experienced seniors, sees every Tues and Thurs volunteers build on our sites there.   Horace Mann High school habitat builders continue with their great support of sponsoring their 3^rd Veterans home, amazing!  They send every student out to build with us as well.

 

 

Chappaqua/Millwood: the work to get Chappaqua and Millwood off the ground has been moving ahead. Foundation work of shoring up what are historic structures

So that our building this spring is strong, we need your donation, in our sponsor a

 

Senior Rehabs: this week we went to yet another senior home to help rehab their kitchen.  So Many seniors are burdened on fixed incomes to try to help rehab their home or keep it maintained while paying their taxes, a near impossible task.  But with Gods help and Habitat of Westchester many seniors have hope…and their homes rehabbed with our Brush with Kindness program.  From Pelham to Ossining, we have been

 

Veterans initatiives:we just sent 50 care packages to soldiers and their units overseas two weeks ago so they would receive notes of love and packages of joy from our volunteers.  They arrive today, for those in units, with help from Trinity School, Byram Hills Highschool, NewRochelle Key Club  and the American Legion.  Our commitment to Veterans also include hiring local vets in partime to full time positions, into our quilt of love here, so our Veteran community can grow in support, and with roofs for families to have over their heads when they return from overseas!

 

Restore/ Headquarters….Our Restore becomes more than just  a store…it has been salvific for homeowners who move into their first time home by getting supplies that they can rehab their homes,  with quality, yet affordable  purchases of cabinets, windows, doors, furniture etc, to help them be able to live in their home.  Also we have donated more than 220 families free furniture in fires over the last two years.  Our headquarters becomes another door of love and community, of shelter for fire victims, at 659 Main St as well as  where during the holidays we gave more than 300 gifts to kids from the neighborhood as well as sponsoring local events like the Three Kings Event, a Community breakfast and yes on Feb 24^th  a Mardi Gras Event with Dave Fabris and his Mudsole Band! Join us or email me jim@habitatwc.org to listen and join in the fun.  Our response to disasters and fire victims takes a new form, when we are often there with water, coffee, supplies and the ability to help put up families and follow them through getting placed in homes.  Because we are in an affordable housing crisis, often people think after a couple of days, victims are often settled. Far from the truth, it takes a long period of time, in this tight real estate market with no affordable rentals or homes, bringing pain and stress to those who lose their home in Mt Vernon Yonkers or NewRochelle. 

 

With that in mind, we give thanks for the Love you exemplify with your all important donation for us to help go strong for the next 30 years.    Would you consider making a monthly pledge to our work?  Please donate today to this ministry of love.

 

Jim Killoran, CEO

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

659 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 636-8335 ext. 101

 

Join our Martin Luther King Jr. Build-A-Thon January 10^th thru January 16^th! Sponsorships are available. Visit www.Habitatwc.org

 

Poverty, because it’s not just in third world Countries. It’s in our world too. 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

Habitat for Humanity Westchester NY - 25 Years

Spring into action; the next 25 years!

 

 

 

 

 

FW: blog

We are developers of neighborhoods again.l.. a great honor…we have worked in hoods, where there were murders and now there are none..

We have worked on changing the feel of an ugly neighborhood to that of what we call NMU No More Ugly! We help work closely with police departments and local businesses, stakeholders and city officials at times, faith communities, to engage a process of transformation..we look to rehab homes, drop beautification planters we make with youth and donate flowers, and we look to change traffic patterns if they are unacceptable for the safety of the community.

I write this after getting a call from police at 4am..Mr Killoran..your truck was hit at the store..i go right down, we look at the camera, and at 2am and seven seconds, a white Mercedes was racing with  another car on Main St…Main St..not a highway. Thousands of people live here, thousands of people work here, small businesses, low income families of ethnicities and backgrounds…successful businesses, where two had cars go right through their front windows…the planters we put in front, now have saved businesses from cars going again into our windows and theirs again….

So now as I write this, at 622am, we sit and wait to get another report out to the insurance…our elbows have been hit, mirrors broken, seniors injured,

After we have generated 200,000 plus dollars of sales tax on main street, brought people from movie sets, veterans, soldiers, customers from all over the tri state area and country..had New Rochelle High school Art Pave program do a mural with kids to touch main street again.

Often, when people don’t care , and only focus on other areas of development…where high rises are scheduled..the small business community and others are forgotten and put aside, not protected, and degraded…

Cars have ruined neighborthoods, fractured legs, create unhealthy air quality, and helped to rip through usually low income residents and small business neighborhoods….with no green space…we fight for safety, we fight for traffic safety and less cars, we fight for the low income residents, no matter what language they speak…we continue….in NYC they call it #zerotolerance crashes not accidents..and more..

With that in mind…historic Main st in NewRochelle continues to be a highway, with no city workers there daily, speeding cars at all times of day and nite,

Crashes, injuries..its tme to change..stay tuned.

 

 

Jim Killoran, CEO

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

659 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 636-8335 ext. 101

 

Join our Martin Luther King Jr. Build-A-Thon January 10^th thru January 16^th! Sponsorships are available. Visit www.Habitatwc.org

 

Poverty, because it’s not just in third world Countries. It’s in our world too. 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

Habitat for Humanity Westchester NY - 25 Years

Spring into action; the next 25 years!

 

 

 

 

 

FW: blog

The headlines is Public housing rents to go up..we continue down this path of folly and perpetuating poverty with a broken model of renting, not ownership in our housing authorities..its time we change this..

 

Jim Killoran, CEO

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

659 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 636-8335 ext. 101

 

Join our Martin Luther King Jr. Build-A-Thon January 10^th thru January 16^th! Sponsorships are available. Visit www.Habitatwc.org

 

Poverty, because it’s not just in third world Countries. It’s in our world too. 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

Habitat for Humanity Westchester NY - 25 Years

Spring into action; the next 25 years!

 

 

 

 

 

FW: BLOG

The key to all we do is to have living conditions that people can live decently here and across the world. I am honored that we have helped sponsor homes all over the world…@200 homes…however I am dismayed that in NY the ability to live and home has become harder and harder in all we do..

Land costs rise,

Real estate rises

Fires burn,, people live in substandard housing in one of the wealthiest counties in the world. However we have the 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 largest cities in the state…

Yet people think because people say Westchester that people don’t need homes..it is the exact opposite.

Right now still trying to help fire victims as well..the mission continues, stronger than ever.

God bless you, please help us with your support. jjk

 

Jim Killoran, CEO

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

659 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 636-8335 ext. 101

 

Join our Homes for the Holidays Campaign! Your donation helps move our families in for the Holidays! Visit www.Habitatwc.org

 

Poverty, because it’s not just in third world Countries. It’s in our world too. 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

Habitat for Humanity Westchester NY - 25 Years

Spring into action; the next 25 years!

 

 

 

 

 

FW: BLOG

Its Friday morning, im tired, this weekend we have 7 events, but the added bonus of assisting more than 86 fire victims locally within walking distance of our headquarters has caused a challenge to us like none other.

The crisis of affordable housing grows in NewRochelle…86 people displaced in last 5 days, in three separate fires.. people stuffed in some of the buildings like sardines, because they cant afford high rents, while the gentrification of families and small businesses comes…..

It makes no sense.. I fear a loss of life, of ressidents, police or firefighters, of people who are in need of help and wont be able to get out, of substandard housing and electrical wires put everywhere that make no sense and are danger daily to those living there..

 

Along with that in the journal news yesterday there was an article in journal news on Mt Kisco being sued on lack of code enforcement on immigrant housing.

This can have ramifications for each municipality, where there is a lack of building inspectors, lack of code enforcement therefore, and lack of quality affordable housing opportunities…The crisis continues.

A dire warning…loss of life Is around the corner, lawsuits will abound, and all for the lack of not making affordablility a reality.

Our mission continues stronger than ever, how dow e help citizens and those that work here, live decently, not die and communities that are safe.  Its winter and its only begun….stay tuned..these are scary times,

We have our disaster teams that go out, our volunteers that deploy our headquarters that gets transformed into a disaster center, and more.

If  you want to help our efforts please donate online to habitatwc.org

 

Jim Killoran, CEO

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

659 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 636-8335 ext. 101

 

Join our Homes for the Holidays Campaign! Your donation helps move our families in for the Holidays! Visit www.Habitatwc.org

 

Poverty, because it’s not just in third world Countries. It’s in our world too. 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

Habitat for Humanity Westchester NY - 25 Years

Spring into action; the next 25 years!