Habitat for Humanity of Summit County expands programming with landmark donation

by Wendy Turrell

Habitat for Humanity of Summit County has received its largest single donation to date. With the $3.5 million dollar gift, the organization will expand two existing programs and start two new ones.

Habitat for Humanity’s Summit County President and CEO Rochelle Sibbio said the gift came from Mackenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who is contributing her substantial divorce settlement to worthy nonprofit organizations. In March 2022, she presented Habitat for Humanity International with $25 million and gave 83 of its U.S. affiliates gifts ranging from $1 million to $20 million.

Sibbio said the windfall will benefit the Aging in Place program, which provides home repairs and accessibility modifications to enable those 60 and older to remain safely in their homes; and the Neighborhood Network community engagement programs, which will now expand to northern Summit County.

Neighborhood Network will now reach Barberton, Lakemore, Springfield, Firestone Park and areas south of Akron. “We plan to hire a manager for that role in the fall of 2023,” Sibbio said.

One of the new programs is “Preserve a Home,” in which homes are purchased and completely rehabbed for affordable homeownership on a zero-interest 30-year mortgage program.

“The last new program is called ‘Pathway to Homeownership,’ which will be a zero-interest promissory note loan of up to $5,000 to help a family just beyond our debt-to-income ratio (44-47%) to lower some consumer debt,” said Sibbio. “During the time they are repaying the loan, families will work with the Financial Empowerment Center, a United Way program on budgeting, as well as East Akron Neighborhood Development Corporation on the HUD certified homebuyer education course. By the time the loan is repaid, they will be eligible for our homeownership program.”

For the donation to be used as efficiently as possible, the local Habitat for Humanity board, its strategic planning committee and staff spent nearly a year reviewing program priorities, creating an investment policy and updating the strategic plan to include the new programs.

Sibbio added, “An endowment fund was also established at the Akron Community Foundation so that legacy gifts could be directed there from donors in our community that include us in their estate plan.”

Habitat for Humanity International is committed to “a vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live,” according to its website. Those who will occupy each home under construction are required to help build it with Habitat volunteers.

“A set down payment of $5,000 and the 30-year zero-interest mortgage is what makes it affordable for families in the 30-80% of area median income for Summit County,” said Summit County Habitat’s Marketing and Events Manager Kayla Collins of the foundational Habitat homeownership program. “We are a nontraditional mortgage program where we originate, hold and service each mortgage. Our mortgages are not sold to banks or managed by banks, and we keep all connections to families local so we can always work with them on payment restructuring if needed.”

Sibbio assumed her role at Summit County Habitat in 2006, after serving at the Akron Urban League and the Kevin Coleman Foundation.

“When I started at Habitat, there was a budget of about $600,000 and three other paid staff. We now have a budget of over $4 million and 35 paid staff,” she said. “Last year we had a budget of about $3.2 million, and this year we are at $4.7 million, which includes the first-year investment of expanded programs from the Mackenzie Scott donation.”

More tangible effects of the Scott donation include purchasing two homes for the Preserve a Home program this year, with four more homes to be purchased in 2024, and four in 2025. Said Sibbio of the donation, “It’s making this a sustain[able] program over time to continue to buy, rehab and place families in homes with an affordable mortgage.” ∞