Habitat for Humanity of Grays Harbor Store is fighting to keep its store open.
 

Dear Friends of Habitat,

Habitat for Humanity of Grays Harbor Store thanks you for 24 years of support and patronage. The Store, a nonprofit home improvement retailer that sells gently used furniture, appliances, home décor, and building materials that have been donated, is essential to our organization’s ability to build affordable homes for low-income Grays Harbor families.

We are very sad to report that the Store is in trouble. With increases in the costs of employee wages, utilities, and gas, plus a shortage of volunteers, we are struggling to keep the store open. While we currently continue to operate and accept the donations that help cover the costs of building more homes, we are still formulating a plan on how to deal with the
increased costs of maintaining the store.

The past couple years have felt like one punch after another. The first blow came in 2020 when Habitat was faced with massive cutbacks in volunteers due to virus concerns, those volunteers have not returned. This forced us to pay for hired contractors and staffing for our building projects that would normally be volunteer-driven. The next hit was the lengthy mandatory closure of the store during the pandemic, cutting off our primary source of funding. The third blow came with construction delays caused by pandemic-induced supply-chain breakdowns. What could have been the knockout punch was the spike in construction costs. Lumber prices increased by over 300%. Hired labor due to a lack of volunteers cost us additional funds and other building supply expenses increased. None of these extra costs were predicted. Habitat for Humanity, through store proceeds, fundraisers, grants, and contracts, helps affiliates subsidize mortgages for Habitat homes. Families build these homes alongside volunteers and staff and then pay off through a no-interest mortgage that cannot exceed 30% of the homeowners’ monthly income.

We refuse to be knocked out. When several families who were previously approved for a finance package would no longer qualify due to the increased cost of the homes, Habitat for Humanity of Grays Harbor absorbed much of the extra costs through forgivable second mortgages. These typically do not get paid unless a family moves or sells their home before paying off their first mortgage. While we were able to keep our heads, and those of the families we support, above water, this is not a sustainable way to continue building homes, as it takes away from funds saved up to finance the next homes to be build.

We are no longer trying to stay ahead of the game. We can only focus on staying alive. Store sales have dropped significantly this year, and we have already had to take the heartbreaking step of reducing our staff. Now we need help from the community in Grays Harbor County to keep the doors of the store open. We need YOUR help! Shop in the Store, round up, volunteer, and donate items. Please help us keep the Habitat Store in Grays Harbor alive.

We are working hard on staying open. We need you if you want to keep the Habitat Store in Grays Harbor!
We can’t do it without YOU!

Darlene Triggs
Executive Director

If you have questions on how you can help, please email me at director@graysharborhabitat.com or call 360-533-8090.
www.graysharborhabitat.com