Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative

NRI Mission

Neighborhood Revitalization affiliates serve more families by responding to community aspirations with an expanded array of products, services and partnerships, empowering residents to revive their neighborhoods and enhance their quality of life.

NRI Vision

Neighborhoods across the country are revitalized into vibrant, safe and inviting places to live for current and future residents. This will happen through the hard work of engaged citizens, partnerships with civic and business groups and a renewed community spirit.

NRI Goals

1. To serve more families through an expanded array of housing products.
2. To demonstrate an improved quality of life in the communities where we serve.
3. To broaden the base of Habitat’s financial support.
4. To increase volunteer participation.

The Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative or NRI, is Habitat for Humanity of Teller County’s newest effort to reach more families in our service area. We have realized that providing decent, safe, and affordable housing means more than building new houses. It also means maintaining Teller County’s housing stock by rehabilitating and repairing existing houses. A Brush with Kindness, Weatherization and Critical Home Repair are programs that are part of the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI). NRI is designed to develop community strength and unity through involvement in neighborhood improvement projects. These simple exterior renovations and repair programs performed for low-income homeowners should help restore pride for the homeowners themselves and their neighbors.

Specifications of each program include but are not limited to:

Neighborhood Revitalization Application

Neighborhood Revitalization Qualifications

Our First Neighborhood Revitalization

Thanks to the AmeriCorps volunteers, in just one day we completed this project!
Marita was under the impression that if we were to do any work on her home it would directly take away from another family. The Neighborhood Revitalization program includes others: A Brush With Kindness, Weatherization, and Critical Home Repair, none of which take away from any other program or family. Habitat aims to reach as many public non-Habitat homeowners in the future however we first extended these programs to current Habitat families. So Marita, though she never intended on asking for any help, happened to walk into the right place at the right time.

Marita is our first homeowner to partake in our Neighborhood Revitalization Program. We couldn’t be more excited to help dig a trench to protect her home from the invasive mountain and dirt directly behind it.

Marita’s life is everything you’d envision a Habitat success story to be. Marita was faced with challenges but she didn’t give up. When she returned to Colorado after a horrific event, Marita started taking control of her life. She did all the necessary steps to allow her daughter to enter into a healthy and happy home. During counseling one day, a woman suggested for her to seek help from Habitat for Humanity to get a home. At the time, she had never heard of such an organization. A decent place to live was something she needed, and direly. A decent place to live was what Habitat provided. After attending a meeting, she filled out an application that she felt were too good to be true.

This is where the story gets really good.

“Congratulations you have been selected for our seventh Habitat build. 7 is the number of God. Your home will be very blessed,” was what Marita heard at the other end of the line; she was already crying tears of joy. Crying tears of joy from that moment and 13 years later when remembering that moment. 12283009_10153690568069356_1959500241_n

Within the year the building process took place, Marita had escaped the chains created by her husband and saved her children. A single mother of four had the courage to help herself, her family and also the courage to ask for help. She directly said the reason she didn’t ask for any assistance this time around was due to her not wanting to take away from another family.

“I was in need. I’ve been there. Habitat was God’s gift to me. Our family is closer than ever and we are safe.”

Habitat is a gift from God but Marita is being too modest. Her willpower and strength helped her to realize what her family needed, ask for it and then work towards it. After all, you know you’re not getting away with an awesome Habitathome without putting some Sweat Equity in.

With Neighborhood Revitalization, we ask that you are present to learn about what aspect of your home is being revitalized. Marita was quick to jump when learning this as she was eager to help and learn hands on.