By Eileen Oaks—
MUNCIE, Ind.—Muncie Habitat for Humanity has purchased a new office building and is raising funds to cover the remodeling costs and purchase price. Thanks to local foundations, businesses, and supporters, the building campaign has already successfully raised $781,000 to ensure a bright future and continued growth of Muncie Habitat! ‘A Home for Habitat’ campaign will be raising $900,000 in gifts and pledges before the end of the 2021 calendar year.
“Our building campaign team, co-chaired with Beth and Jeff Lang and Claudia and Charlie Sursa, have been working hard to create awareness and share the mission and vision of Habitat,” said Lindsey Arthur, Muncie Habitat CEO. “Working with this team has been amazing!”
Muncie Habitat plans to move into the new office space in the summer of 2022, allowing the organization to become more efficient and effective with donor contributions.
For the past 25 years, Habitat’s staff and volunteers have operated efficiently and frugally out of their Habitat ‘office home’, located on the corner of Hoyt and Memorial Aves. Ironically, however, while Habitat’s mission is centered on home – providing homes and improving homes – the organization finds itself in a place where its own home is no longer adequate for the current and future needs of Habitat.
Habitat’s ‘office home’, located on the corner of Hoyt and Memorial Aves. Photo by Mike Rhodes
As Muncie Habitat continues to grow to serve more families, the staff size also increases. At this point, Habitat’s staff is split between our ReStore facility and an office located on Hoyt Avenue. It is the intention of the organization to relocate all administrative staff to the new building located at 1424 S. Hoyt Avenu in Muncie.
“Having administrative staff in two locations has, at times, hindered our effectiveness as an organization,” Lindsey Arthur, Muncie Habitat CEO explained. “We’re looking forward to having everyone under one roof.”
In addition to the communication complications, the current main office, needs some significant and costly maintenance.
“Our current office is a converted house that was built in 1918, and purchased by Muncie Habitat in 1997 for $64,000,” Arthur said. “Over the last 25 years, we have completed renovations, patched holes in the roof and siding, and added an accessible entrance to the front of the building. Currently our office is not ADA compliant, in addition to needing numerous repairs. With limited space inside, we also utilize outdoor storage which leaves us victim to theft. It is no longer feasible, wise or prudent to invest any more money in our current office space.”
“Fortunately for us, a perfectly suited space was made available, just four blocks north of our current Habitat Office Home,” Arthur shared. “We will be able to remain in our same neighborhood—staying close to the families we serve.”
“We’ve seen the impact stability has on the families we partner with, and now we’re looking forward to having that same stability in a safe and decent place to work so that we can really focus on serving more families and putting God’s love into action in bigger ways” Arthur said.
For more information, the public can visit https://munciehabitat.org/a-home-for-habitat/.
