ATLANTA, Dec. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/
-- Wells Fargo & Company is teaming with Habitat for
Humanity to help families stay in their homes and neighborhoods,
and to champion advocacy work that helps people meet basic shelter
needs, among other initiatives.
Wells Fargo has donated
$10.7 million directly to local
Habitat organizations across the country in 2019 to help build
affordable housing. An additional $788,000 gift this year and $2.25 million from an earlier donation will
support Habitat for Humanity International initiatives that:
- Educate and advocate for affordable housing solutions;
- Provide repairs that help aging homeowners remain in their
homes;
- Help residents revitalize their neighborhoods;
- Aid military veterans in obtaining an affordable and decent
place to call home;
- Provide resources to help make large-scale Habitat events
successful; and
- Build organizational capacity supporting the relocation of its
administrative headquarters in Atlanta
The collaboration with Habitat builds on the evolution of Wells
Fargo's philanthropy strategy, which includes a $1 billion commitment to address the housing
affordability crisis over the next six years, and an increased
focus on financial health and small business growth.
"Having generous partners like Wells Fargo is so important as we
work to help families and communities improve their shelter
conditions," said Julie Laird Davis,
Habitat's vice president of Corporate Partnerships and Cause
Marketing. "We are so grateful for the Wells Fargo partnership and
the impact that will be made across the country."
As part of the collaboration, Wells Fargo will continue to
support Habitat's implementation of CAPABLE, a program designed to
combine nursing and occupational therapy services with Habitat's
expertise in home repairs. More than 40 low-income, older adults in
Colorado, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Maryland will have repairs made to their
homes, helping them safely remain in their residences as they age.
Projects will range from minor work, like tightening handrails or
repairing steps, to critical roof and plumbing repairs, floor
installations, mold remediation and removing other hazards.
Wells Fargo also will support
the second year of Habitat's neighborhood revitalization study.
Through this program, Habitat works in coalition with partners to
provide residents with resources to improve the quality of life in
their neighborhoods. Wells Fargo
team member volunteers will work alongside residents in five
communities in California,
Colorado, Pennsylvania, South
Carolina and Virginia on
projects, including making critical repairs to existing homes and
constructing new homes on abandoned lots.
In addition, Wells Fargo is supporting Habitat's first-ever
nationwide advocacy campaign in the
United States, Cost of Home. Through the Cost of Home
campaign, Habitat will mobilize volunteers, community members and
partners throughout the U.S. to find solutions and help create
policies that will allow 10 million individuals to meet their most
basic needs. Wells Fargo also
sponsored Habitat's 36th Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter
Work Project, where team member volunteers worked side-by-side with
President and Mrs. Carter and Habitat volunteers in Nashville to help build 21 homes.
"Housing affordability is a major issue affecting communities
across the U.S., as far too many families struggle with the burden
of paying half or more of their household incomes to keep a roof
over their heads," said Brandee
McHale, head of corporate philanthropy at Wells Fargo. "As
we work together to create innovative solutions, we are also
focused on revitalizing existing housing inventory by supporting
advocacy work such as Cost of Home and projects like CAPABLE, which
preserves dignity for seniors as they age in place."
Since 2010, Wells Fargo has committed $89.4 million to Habitat for Humanity
with more than $6 million supporting
national Habitat for Humanity programs.
About Habitat for Humanity
Driven by the vision that
everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began
in 1976 as a grassroots effort on a community farm in southern
Georgia. The Christian housing
organization has since 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.
About Wells Fargo
Founded in 1852 and headquartered in
San Francisco, Wells Fargo &
Company (NYSE:WFC) provides banking, investment and mortgage
products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance,
through 7,600 locations, more than 13,000 ATMs, and the internet
(wellsfargo.com). With approximately 263,000 team members, Wells
Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. With its corporate
philanthropy, Wells Fargo aims to pave a path to stability and
financial success for underserved communities by focusing on
housing affordability, small business growth, and financial health,
among other local community needs. In 2018, Wells Fargo donated
$444 million to nearly 11,000
nonprofits. For 10 consecutive years, Wells Fargo has held the
honor of No. 1 in workplace giving by United Way Worldwide. Wells
Fargo team members also actively
support communities by donating more than 2 million hours of
volunteer time in the last year. News, insights and more
information on the company's overall corporate responsibility are
available at Wells Fargo Stories and www.wellsfargo.com/impact.
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SOURCE Habitat for Humanity