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Hello.

I'm Tom Britt.

On this edition of Tennessee is Talking, the topic is "Habitat for Humanity."

Through hard work, community engagement, and volunteerism, they've helped countless families achieve home ownership and long-term stability.

Let the conversation begin.

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West Tennessee PBS Presents Tennessee is Talking.

Let the conversation begin.

[music] Thanks for joining the discussion here on Tennessee is Talking.

Hello.

I'm Tom Britt.

Habitat for Humanity is building more than homes.

They're building hope, empowering families, and transforming communities.

Here to tell us more is Director of Operations, Nicci Gano, and CEO Adam Johnson.

Thanks for joining us.

Can you tell us all about what Habitat for Humanity is all about?

Absolutely.

-Thank you for having ..

It's important to acknowledge that housing is a challenge for people, and it has been historically a challenge for people, but what we-- Particularly affordable housing, right?

Yes.

Attainable housing is a challe.. so what we get to do every day is we get to build self-reliance stability through shelter.

We're just grateful again every day to be able to tackle that.

Do you know how long it's been in Jackson?

I can't remember when we didn't have it.

-We do.

-You know what I mean?

-39 years.

-39 years.

It will be 40 next year.

Wow.

That's a long track record .. that they participate in building and work on there.

How do you manage the relationships of local businesses and the government agencies, and the faith-based groups to help fulfill the mission of Habitat?

It's interesting because as a nonprofit there are many, so we have to be very intentional about being very forward-facing, and be very intentional about making those connections and keeping them active.

We're very grateful to be able to have city government that's working with us on housing, and have some shared values in that, as well as different agencies and churches and faith-based agencies as well.

It's great.

Habitat for Humanity, as you noted, there are a lot of collaboration.

How do you manage, though, working with those volunteers, donors, and families to ensure the success of each product?

The players change when you're working on homes like this, right?

Yes, that's true.

It's a lot of coordination.

It really is.

We have a lot of processes in place.

Fortunately, Habitat for Humanity is an international organization.

Each affiliate is its own, but we have so much support from the affiliates around us in West Tennessee, the greater Tennessee area, the whole US, and internationally, so that we can make sure that everybody's getting that same level of quality.

You mentioned volunteers.

I've been fortunate enough in my life to do a lot of things, and one of those things was help to build a Habitat house through my church.

It was one of the most gratifying Saturdays, I think, it's had been in a long time.

When everybody comes together, and all of a sudden stuff starts rising up [laughs].

It's like, did we do this, and one day, get this much done?

It's really amazing here.

I guess I'm asking about how important is it for you to find volunteers and use that volunteerism to work for Habitat?

Volunteers are crucial.

That's a vital piece of our organization.

That can be helping on a build, that can be coming and helping us at our location where we offer a retail store.

It can be community service hours in the office.

It can be financial contributions.

Volunteering, we would not be here if it weren't for folks who stepped up and filled in the gap.

Your volunteerism, too, is a little bit different from some others.

You might go down some Saturday and stand in front of a store and try to solicit funds, but people really have to show up and help you, don't they?

Yes.

Get their hands dirty, I think, is what I'm saying.

Yes.

[laughter] Which is a good thing though, right?

Yes.

Like you said, they can physically see the results of their work.

How do you measure the impact of your projects on both the individuals in the communities that you've served so far?

We're not just building homes.

I think that's one thing that we have to say over and over again.

It's a aspect of what we do, but we are building hope.

We are providing folks with something that's very challenging today.

Measuring that is being able to see someone.

I'll give you an example.

In a past life, I was a minister.

Stop me if I'm long-winded.

That's okay.

[laughs] I will say, there was a lady who came by our .. in her mid 20s, had two children with her, and life had been very unkind to her.

She went through the foster system growing up.

She had a challenging young adulthood, some different challenges at home, but had finally gotten on her feet.

She was working a full-time job, but had capped out at a very low-income bracket.

Was staying in very unsafe, inadequate housing, and didn't know what to do.

I remember thinking that in that moment, I'm so grateful for agencies.

This was before I was at Habitat.

Thinking of agencies like Habitat, that guess what, that's what we get to do.

Being able to offer her that hope, that hand up and giving her the dignity to give her family somewhere safe to be that generates generational wealth, and gets them out of the cycle of poverty, gets out of the cycle of instability and unsafe housing.

I would think, too, that probably the need is much greater than what me looking from the outside-in would realize, is that correct?

Jackson's one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.

Metrically, it is.

With that, is folks who are certainly in an okay income bracket, but also if you look around, we have lots of transient folks who are experiencing homelessness, or folks who have been in that environment in their life.

We have a really incredible sacred responsibility to help those folks in finding a way out of that pattern.

Today is much more challenging than 10 years ago.

The pace of life is different.

The cost of living is different.

Access to funding is different today.

It's a different ball game.

If you would both explain your role in Habitat for Humanity and what you do and how you deal with the clients and people who just inquire about Habitat.

My role's pretty new, Director of Operations.

I handle all of the day-to-day operations, which looks completely different every single day.

It's never the same.

Some days when our application process is open, people are coming in the door.

I'm helping make sure that they get to the r.. helping review those applications, everything from that to coordinating volunteers to be on site.

Helping with upcoming fundraisers like Project Playhouse.

Just making sure that every little moving piece is moving in the direction it needs to go.

One of the questions was, what is your typical day, and you talked about it, but I would assume there's probably not a.. Never.

Literally never.

[laughter] You never know what to expect when you go.

No.

What does building strength, st.. and self-reliance mean to you, and how do you apply it to your daily work?

It's the why.

Being able to be a small piece of this puzzle for someone in them gaining that dignity and that hope, that's why I'm here and that's why Habitat exists.

Again, I've mentioned earlier, we don't just build homes, we offer different services as well, but all of that, that's the central theme is hope.

It's just such an inspiring thing to wake up every day and know that there's someone that we get to impact today, and someone who life has probably not been the best experience so far, but maybe we get to hit pause and reset for that person.

What does it feel like when you see those people who we most people know through Habitat Humanity have to have some sweat equity, and show up and work there?

How does it make you feel to see how they change as the process takes place.

I have a friend who, she and her two sons are in a Habitat home now, and she was just beside herself with happiness.

I had the pleasure of following somebody from the beginning through the end, and then followed up even a year after she spent in her house.

She would come on her lunch breaks from work to come help on the house.

She was so inspired by what was happening for her and so contagious that her boss came, her boss's husband came.

The counselors that were helping her at the Financial Empowerment Center came.

Anybody who had been a part of her journey was so inspired by her and what was going on, that they all showed up and helped paint her house, build her house.

It was incredible.

I guess that goes with your name, Habitat for Humanity.

It shows the humanity in people when they respond, doesn't it?

Which is a great thing.

Unique challenges and opportunities that Habitat has here in Jackson, perhaps compared to other regions?

Good or bad.

It could be both ways, or challenge, it might.. We try to be positive in terms of our opportunities that we're dealing with.

One is the pace of housing.

We currently, historically, have built two a year.

We're looking to up our game quite a bit on the amount of homes, the volume of homes that we are providing our clients.

Again, the housing crisis is challenging, but as we're looking at the future, we have to think back to what a neighborhood is.

A neighborhood.

I lived in Atlanta for many years.

My home in Atlanta, I bought my first house there.

Two houses down from me was a city official.

There was a retired judge down the street from me.

Across the street from me, it was a rental property.

A really diverse community.

A really diverse community.

As we're looking at housing and the volume of homes and re-imagining neighborhoods, there may be a home that's an affluent house and there may be a home that may be a rental unit, but the next house down that lot may be a Habitat home, and I think that's a beautiful thing.

It really is putting together the community.

Can you just share a success story from the Jackson area that perhaps highlights the impact of Habitat for Humanity?

That same family that I was telling you about, she was a client at the Dream Center.

We partnered with them.

She applied for our program, was accepted.

She really needed to have stable housing so that she could start getting her children back.

She now has her children back living in her home a year and a half later, which is- -Wow.

-incredible.

That's the thing.

We give them the keys to the house.

They get a mortgage also.

It's a low-interest mortgage or no-interest m..

It's affordable.

It doesn't stop there.

This creates generational wealth.

Studies show that children who grow up in a home where their parents own the property have better outcomes in school and better outcomes as adults.

I think probably, perhaps it teaches kids the importance of having a home that is stable and you can live in for your growing up years.

Everything changes when people grow up, but that's very important.

Speaking of growing, as you mentioned, Jackson is a growing community.

How do you ensure that Habitat's efforts align with the city's development plans as you address the needs of the affordable housing?

We are very proactive at keeping that relationship viable and healthy open conversation.

I'm very grateful.

Our city has definitely linked arms with us on that.

We are in those conversations weekly regarding housing, future ideas and plans.

If we continue to do that, I have faith that we're going to be able to work together.

If a father, a mother, they see this and they're thinking, "I'd love to do that," what process does a family have to go through to become involved?

You mean to apply for a home?

Yes.

For Habitat.

Our application process is actually closed right now, but there's a place on our website, jacksonhabitat.com, where you can get on a list so that you're notified as soon as it's opened up.

There's a prequalification application process.

Then once you get through that, there's another fuller application process.

That just goes down the line.

Once you get through that process, then we'd call you in for an interview, then we come do a home visit and then we would ask you if you want to join the program.

Most people say?

Oh, yes.

[laughter] There's three things that they need to have.

A need, they have to have a willingness to partner with us, so that's helping build on their house, they need to be willing to go to financial empowerment classes, things of that nature and then they have to have the financial ability to pay.

It's a random question.

Do some homeowners after they go through the process and build their own, do they come and help other Habitat houses?

Have you ever seen that?

Yes.

That has to be gratifying, too.

It doesn't seem to happen that they realize how the need and that they can still stay involved.

We've talked about volunteers from the Jackson community.

They play very important roles in your projects.

How do you go about finding people to help you construct these houses or gather up the materials and make sure everything comes together?

We do a lot of outreach.

We also have a newsletter, which you can sign up for on our website, again, jacksonhabitat.com, where you can learn about our needs and how you can plug in and help.

We partner with all different organizations.

Most recently, we've partnered with UT.

They had a day of giving and they helped us cut a bunch of wood parts for our upcoming Project Playhouse.

Fellowship Church in Jackson helped cut the rest of the parts for that.

We've got some other folks coming in places like Delta Faucet and other organizations that come out and do a build day with us and help on the job site.

Then just individuals can sign up.

Find your website or call that number.

That's right.

You can do it.

You can get involved.

How do you ensure that those people have a meaningful and impactful experience while doing this?

A lot of times, the homeowner is working there side-by-side with them, which that creates a meaningful impact.

We also like to tell the story of what we do and who's going to be living in that home.

We spend time all together, we've got music going, we're building on the house.

We're just having a good time together and sharing a lot about what we do.

I shared my experience earlier.

I found that once we got there, because it was people from all different walks of life, religions, beliefs, and whatever, and social status, but it was community.

This group's doing this, this group's doing that.

Even if you're just carrying a two-by-four, you're part of that community doing that.

It makes it meaningful.

What have you learned about from the feedback of families who already are in a Habitat for Humanity house?

We've learned that it's life-changing for them to have that level of stability where it's their home.

They know that they're not going to have to pack up and move in a year or when their lease is up or anything like that.

They just have a sense of ownership and stability in their lives and they feel like there's something that they can pass on to their children.

I would imagine for a majority of them, and I'm just assuming, and I really don't know, that this is probably the first time maybe they've ever had anything like this in their lives.

-Is that correct?

-Yes.

A lot of people suffer and we don't even know about it trying to find a place to live, staying from here to there with relatives or whatever.

What do you think are the most pressing housing needs in Jackson, Tennessee, and how is Habitat planning to meet those needs in the coming years?

It's lots of people will create lots of need, right?

Lots of folks, yes, which is a good problem to have for our city, but at the same time, the median price of a home is astronomical.

Materials.

Materials.

I was talking to Nicci, the home I bought first out of college, if I bought that home today it would be three times the cost.

Sure.

What I was making as a salary coming out..

I couldn't have afforded that house back then if that was the price it is today.

That's a unique challenge for us is keeping costs low for homeowners with the uncertainty of materials, with a higher volume of builds.

We do have several things that we're coming up against, but again, I think that we are going to get creative and we're going to be positive that we're going to make a difference.

You've had response, I'm sure, from lumber companies and contractors and people who are involved in the building industry that perhaps would help you, right- Oh, yes.

-move that along a little bit?

We have some key partnerships with s.. that have been very benevolent.

That's great.

Jackson's always been a giving town, and having worked in the media here my entire life, I've just seen it happen so many times for so many different things and particularly for Habitat, too.

Are there future projects or initiatives in Jackson that you're excited about and particularly important, you think, for the community?

You want to talk about Project Playhouse?

Yes.

I also would like to talk ab.. -Sure.

-Yes.

There's another ch.. to our community, is our aging population.

We have a program called Aging in Place, which helps folks that are 60 and older that own their own homes do critical repairs.

As they've aged and their income probably has an increased, a lot of them are on fixed income, their home needs repairs and they've already paid for that house.

We can help them by replacing their roof if it needs to be, or installing new bathrooms or new guardrails, things to help them as their mobility-- Or fixing that front porch, or- That's right.

-whatever's going on with it.

That's right.

Making it so that they can safely stay independently in ..

Which most people do at that age, don't they, if they can?

Yes.

Anyway, they want .. Of course, we do see an aging population.

I resemble that remark myself.

[laughs] Every day, I think about that, "What am I going to do in the future and what do I need to do with that sort of thing."

Project Playhouse, tell me about that.

Project Playhouse is an opportunity for groups all over the community to come together for one day at the Farmers Market in Downtown Jackson.

It'll be June 6th.

They're going to be assembling, painting, and decorating playhouses for recipients.

They'll already know all about their recipients, so they can customize it for them.

We partner with other nonprofits and organizations in the community that work with families and children.

Either the Playhouse will go to their facility or a family that they've chosen.

We do it blitz style.

It's high energy.

You've got five hours to get this thing done-- Like the TV show.

We got to have this done by now.

Yes.

Will they make it?

[laughter] Then at the end of the day, those recipients show up and they get to see their playhouse and take it home with them.

Wow.

That's great.

It is great.

Something I like is the ReStore.

Now, I've been in there and I like to poke around.

You never know what you're going to find.

You find really nice things that can be used and you can sell them.

It helps your organization, doesn't it?

Yes.

Folks can make donations to our ReStore.

We also have, we pick up.

If maybe you're getting a new couch and you want to ditch the other one, call us, go on our website jacksonhabitat.com, we'll come pick it up.

We got a big old truck and a couple of guys that'll show up and take it out of your way.

Same with appliances and things.

Then also you can shop there.

You never know what you're going to find at the store.

-[laughs].

-That's true.

That's for sure.

This is a question for both of you.

What do you both find most rewarding about your job?

Where do you want me to start?

[laughter] Wherever you would like would be fine.

Again, it's just seeing the impact is a tangible impact every day.

We had a car donated to Habitat a few weeks ago.

We're like, "What are we going to do with this vehicle?"

Just shortly after that, a young lady reached out to us asking if there was cars for charity program in Jackson.

We were able to gift this lady-- -We'll be right there, right?

-[laughs] Yes.

We get her a car.

Just being able to make things happen and meet needs, it inspires me.

It's never a dull day.

Even with the challenges, it's always amazing to see the stories at the end of the day that we-- So many great things have happened the past month.

I can't even keep count.

Yes.

It's a running joke between us.

You're not going to believe it, but we have this opportunity to do this really great thing.

It just keeps happening.

You're doing that, right?

Yes.

One home at a time.

One family at a time.

You do that.

How can people find out more about Habitat for Hum.. volunteering, donating, taking part, whatever that you need?

What do they need to do?

Action step for anyone who want.

is just to go to our website, jacksonhabitat.com.

That's where you can find our newsletter, our events section.

There are ways to be a monthly contributor as well.

Financially, I would say jacksonhabitat.com first stop, and then from there, many different ways to be involved.

You can follow us on social media as well.

We're on Facebook, Instagram.

I'm not a builder.

At the time I worked on there, I thought, "What am I going to do."

I could carry those two-by-fours up there to those carpenters that were setting everything up and keep them supplied.

The people, I could help them lift the walls up.

You can get involved if you want to and do something.

Can sure find something to do, right?

Absolutely.

We can contact you 24/7 via the website or whatever?

-[laughs] Yes.

-Absolutely.

You'll check it every day and get back to them and say, "Go ahead and give us that million dollars worth of buildin.. -[laughter] Yes.

-Sure.

All the hammers, few trucks, few whatever you need, right?

-Yes.

-Yes.

That's for sure.

It takes a very large village to do what we do.

We're so grateful for the community and all the resources.

As we said I think earlier, we probably don't realize the number of people who really do need a stable home that they can live in and call their own without just seeing that rent money go out the window every month.

We just don't realize that.

Sadly, we're out of time for this edition of Tennessee is Talking.

We want to thank Adam Johnson and Nicci Gano for stopping by and telling us about Habitat for Humanity.

If you want to rewatch this program or share it with a friend, remember it can be streamed anytime on the PBS app, along with all local Channel 11 programs.

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Keep the conversation going by following West Tennessee PBS on social media.

Until the next time, keep on talking, Tennessee.

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