Town Hall at Trinity UMC Fernandina
The historic Trinity United Methodist Church in the heart of Fernandina Beach warmly welcomed guests to a “Habitat 101” Town Hall meeting in their recently renovated sanctuary on Thursday evening, January 16th. A consolidated staff from what was only weeks ago two separate organizations – Nassau Habitat for Humanity and Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville – joined together to meet with area residents and leaders.
Pastor Granardo Felix of Trinity UMC and the Nassau Habitat board opened the meeting with an invocation; he later dismissed those who had gathered with a spirited blessing. Church Trustee Nancy Scofield then gave an overview of the church’s history and restoration efforts. Carol Bolton, Executive Director of Nassau Habitat and now Community Partnerships Director for Nassau County in the consolidated organization, then welcomed several county officials in attendance, before introducing Monte Walker, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville.
Walker thanked the board, staff, and key volunteers of Nassau Habitat for their commitment and courage. Exploring and then undertaking a merger – for the sake of building more homes and serving more families – is a difficult decision. Yet it demonstrates that the mission of an organization comes first. Our shared mission of putting God’s love into action by building homes, communities, and hope is now stronger because of this decision.
Walker also gave an overview of the challenges both organizations face given the rising costs of land and construction, while also touting the benefits of a regional effort to a regional problem. The three counties now served by the consolidated organization — Duval, Nassau, and Baker — are each unique, yet share similar challenges in acquiring buildable land and building enough homes to keep pace with a growing workforce. Habitat for Humanity and its model of partnering with families to attain homeownership and long-term stability is not simple charity, he explained, but good economic policy.
According to Regina Duncan with the Nassau County Chamber of Commerce, “The lack of available housing for essential workers has been evident for a while, and it is a problem that is only getting worse, not better.” The most recent American Community Survey data also shows that among Nassau County households earning between $50,000 and $75,000 and also having a mortgage, 64% are cost-burdened — meaning more than 30% of their income goes to housing costs.
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Keisha Waddell, Family Services Director for the consolidated organization, then gave a brief overview of the homeownership program, before VP of Construction and Real Estate Octavious Carr shared the current need for buildable land in Nassau County. Land can be always be donated to Habitat for Humanity, Carr explained, but Habitat is also prepared to purchase land, even large parcels. The biggest hurdle to serving more families in Nassau County is buildable land, and community members can play a vital role in the organization’s success by connecting us to land.
Chief Community Partnerships Officer Chris Folds assured those in attendance that a strong volunteer program in Nassau County will continue and even expand as we begin to build on larger parcels. Those wishing to become monthly donors can do so easily and be confident that their donations will benefit all the communities served in our region, including Nassau County. One of the perks offered to these “Build Crew” monthly donors will soon be updated; while our current Build Crew shirt featured an image of Duval County and the HabiJax name, we will soon have new shirts with updated imagery and a new name.
During the Q&A time, one of the most common questions came first: what will the consolidated organization be called? Monte Walker explained that there is a process of having new names approved by Habitat for Humanity International, a process the organization is in the midst of. No new name has yet been approved, though that conversation is continuing. Yet the new name should not center Jacksonville, but rather convey to the whole three-county area in Northeast Florida that we now serve a broader area together.
After the meeting, participants lingered with other questions and memories and smiles. Many of the staff and board members present gathered for a picture, with the nave of the sanctuary barely able to contain them all. Given the mission they are all pursuing together, it was a picture of growth and progress in Nassau County.
