Habitat for Humanity of Orange County

Habitat for Humanity of Orange County changes lives by bringing people together to create affordable homes, community and hope.

In 1988, Habitat OC became part of the global, nonprofit housing organization whose mission is to put love and faith into action by building homes, communities, and hope. As an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization, Habitat OC is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally through constructing, rehabilitating and preserving homes throughout Orange County; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. This multilevel approach has ideally positioned Habitat OC at the center of the affordable housing issue – rendering us uniquely qualified to make a mark on affordable homeownership in Orange County. Habitat OC has built 237 homes for families throughout Orange County. 

Habitat OC aims to help rectify the ever-increasing gap between affordable housing needs and availability throughout Orange County; making homeownership possible for working families is at the heart of everything we do. The overarching goal of our Affordable Housing Program is the creation and preservation of affordable homeownership. To meet that programmatic goal, we aim to increase the number of families and economically disadvantaged individuals stably housed in their own homes every year through a three-pronged approach of Home Building, Home Repair, and Home Buyback.

There is a common misconception that Habitat OC gives homes away for free when actually we leverage volunteer power, sweat equity, reduced building costs, and land-lease partnerships in order to enable qualified LMI homebuyers to purchase a quality, affordable home.

For LMI homeowners living in homes in need of critical repair, Habitat OC has partnered with cities throughout Orange County to help rehabilitate homes for qualified vulnerable populations, including veterans and seniors. Our goal is to improve neighborhoods by providing homeowners with much needed repairs – focusing on health, safety and accessibility.

Some Habitat homeowners stay in their Habitat home for decades; others parlay this first home into other homeownership opportunities, choosing to sell their Habitat home and move on to market rate opportunities. In that case, Habitat OC maintains a Home Buyback program, enabling us to buy back and resell Habitat-built homes, increasing the inventory of affordable houses on the market by every means possible.

Through our comprehensive triad approach, Habitat OC’s Affordable Housing Program plays an integral role in creating and maintaining affordable homeownership opportunities for Orange County’s LMI families.

Since 1988, Habitat for Humanity of Orange County has constructed 237 homes, repaired 218 homes, serving nearly 4,000 adults and children. In 2022, Habitat OC completed construction on six homes in the city of Stanton, repaired 42 homes, repurchased one previously built Habitat OC home, completed 60 homebuyer orientations serving nearly 2,000 attendees, and recycled 110,061 pounds of goods and materials through our ReStore retail stores.

Together, we will complete construction on two homes in Santa Ana, repair 43 homes, repurchase three previously built Habitat OC homes, serve approximately 2,000 attendees through our Homebuyer Orientations.

In December 2022, CNN reported that California had the largest housing deficit in the nation. A combination of inflation, zoning inequalities and lack of inventory forced many residents to try to find more affordable housing alternatives if they could. According to a CalMatters commentary, “Through a combination of extensive research, focus groups led by people with lived experience, and conversations with 125 people working in the field, the analysis found that California needs to build 112,527 affordable homes”.

More specific reporting on the Orange County region shows that 118,405 low-income renter households in Orange County do not have access to an affordable home. An affordable, safe home is one of the most significant challenges for Orange County's low- and moderate-income, hardworking families and individuals. Only 29% of first-time homebuyers can afford an entry-level home at $1,071,000 and a first-time buyer would need to have an annual qualifying income of $157,000. Habitat OC aims to help rectify this ever-increasing gap between affordable housing needs and availability throughout Orange County.

In the next year Habitat OC will begin construction on six homes in Santa Ana, 2 homes in Costa Mesa, repurchase three previously built Habitat OC homes, repair 43 homes, and serve approximately 2,000 attendees through our Homebuyer Orientations. With that we are in need of volunteers at both construction and repair sites and donations of monetary funds and gently used goods.

Serving low and moderate income families in Orange County, CA

When reflecting on 2022 and the evolution of our organization, I recognize the impressive accomplishments we have made amid change at every level. These changes are strengthening our infrastructure to grow our pipeline and becoming a key stakeholder in Orange County’s affordable housing solutions.

Our organizational teams have changed. Our headquarters and warehouse spaces have expanded and our vision for the next era of Habitat for Humanity of Orange County has been recalibrated and defined.

Amid these shifting operations, our affiliate continued to meet benchmark goals and support our cornerstone mission. The Stanton project was completed with six beautiful, new homes and six families who now enjoy the opportunity to build financial security through homeownership. One Habitat home was also resold this year, and the wealth-creation-through-equity cycle begins again for a new family who will now enjoy the benefits of the Habitat home model.

We also began construction at the Lacy Street project in Santa Ana where two single family homes are being constructed on what was once a single lot. These success stories all underscore the resilience and impact of our mission—to advocate for and build affordable housing.

Even as Orange County continues to be one of the least affordable housing markets in the country, we have continued to build homes and acquire home sites. We have found creative opportunities within the market and have worked all aspects of the organization to uncover new ways to advance our efforts to bridge the housing divide within our community.

The workforce of Orange County needs our help more than ever before and our organization stands ready to build homes, provide family security and generational wealth. We are building the future for a new generation, and we thank you for your support.