Empowering Communities: The Lasting Impact of Habitat for Humanity’s Cost of Home Campaign
By: Volunteer Writer Katrina Machetta
Community-driven. Inclusive and impactful. Empowerment through homeownership. These are some of the ways Habitat for Humanity’s Cost of Home Campaign has been described.
The Cost of Home Campaign was a 5-year advocacy initiative led by Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) that lasted from 2019-2024. The goal of this campaign was to influence policies that would increase access to affordable homes as a response to escalating housing challenges. Through Cost of Home, Habitat organizations across the nation supported more than 400 policies and improved access to affordable housing for over 9.5 million people across the United States.
As part of this campaign, Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter established an advocacy committee and planned impactful strategies to invest in their community’s future. The strategies included education about the reality of the cost of home in Lake and Sumter Counties*, collaborating with community leaders, and visiting with elected officials in Tallahassee and Washington D.C.
(Read our “What does affordable housing mean?” article to learn more).
“This initiative allowed us to collectively harness our message with many others around the nation in one unified voice, to raise awareness around the needed changes in our housing systems,” Danielle Stroud, President & CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter said.
The overall goal of Habitat for Humanity Lake-Sumter was to elevate the conversation around housing challenges and present sustainable and pragmatic solutions to officials of all levels of government and collaboratively work with them to make these solutions come to fruition to enhance the housing situation for all.
Through specific and measurable economic, social, and legislative targets, Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter was able to accomplish significant wins for the community, such as hosting highly-attended educational classes about homeownership, planning volunteer days on Habitat projects with local elected officials, and collaborating with other Habitat chapters, lobbyists, and state officials to expedite affordable housing projects, obtain funding for critical home repairs, and address concerns around lot sizes.
“The Cost of Home Campaign connects real people in our community that are facing housing challenges with decision makers that have an opportunity to create change through policy and local investment,” Stroud said.
This campaign included the Habitat Lake-Sumter staff, donors, elected officials, community leaders, local volunteers, housing advocates, homebuyers, and more, creating a truly community-wide effort to help advance affordable housing policy and accessibility of resources.
The Cost of Home Campaign exceeded expectations and created a momentum that didn’t stop in 2024. Habitat for Humanity Lake-Sumter has recently transitioned to a permanent advocacy effort called Habitat Voices in Action which plans to bounce off the passion and impact started with the Cost of Home Campaign, which will continue to create opportunities for much-needed affordable housing in Lake-Sumter, and across the nation.
You can learn more about Habitat Lake-Sumter’s State and Federal priorities here.
Contact Lacie Himes at Lacie@HabitatLS.org or 352-483-0434 x 146 to get involved.