Since 2007, State Farm has elevated Habitat youth initiatives across the country with their unwavering support. Thanks to a State Farm Youth Action Grant, we purchased materials to build two picnic tables and a regulation-size soccer goal for Terry Redlin Elementary!
High school students from Good News Church in Sioux Falls generously volunteered their time to build the tables and goal with us in October! They were a great group, taking ownership of their projects and working together to get the job done. It was amazing to see youth in the community stepping up to help the kids at Terry Redlin.
The next morning, we had the pleasure of dropping off the tables and goal at the school with Bill Thompson from State Farm. The kids were so excited about the new additions to their playground when they came outside for recess, so thank you to everyone who made that joy possible!
Want to partner with Habitat on a project like this?
Let’s chat about how we can improve our community together! Contact Rocky Welker, Habitat’s executive director, at 605-274-6280 or via email. We would love to make a difference with you!
This Giving Tuesday, we need your help to meet the match! An anonymous donor will generously match gifts made on December 3 up to $10,000. Help us reach this goal, so we can provide even more families in our community with affordable homeownership and home repair options. Double your difference this Giving Tuesday and support Habitat as we dream big for the future of affordable housing!
We Met the Match!
Thank you to everyone who doubled their difference with us this Giving Tuesday! Your incredible generosity helped us meet our $10,000 matching goal! We raised $13,650, and with the $10,000 matching gift, that’s $23,650 that will support families in our community working toward affordable homeownership and repairs!
Giving Tuesday may be over, but our work is far from done. Your donation any day of the year is greatly appreciated, so we can continue our work in Greater Sioux Falls. Make a difference with us today!
Updated Dec. 4
As we get closer to reaching our $10,000 matching goal, we’ll fill in bricks until the house is complete! Check back throughout Giving Tuesday to see our progress and donate to help us finish the house!
Giving Tuesday Gift
As an extra special thank you for helping us meet the match, we’ll be sending a FREE set of Habitat license plate stickers to everyone who gives $50 or more on Giving Tuesday! Donate to get yours!
On September 5 we recognized the first recipients of the John Homstad Volunteer of the Year award – Steve and Kaye Cook! Steve’s parents helped found the Greater Sioux Falls Habitat affiliate, and Steve and Kaye have been volunteering with us ever since. From building homes to deconstructing them, they’ve done it all (in matching t-shirts). We appreciate their kindness, selflessness and dedication to get the job done! Thank you, Steve and Kaye, for your many years of service to our mission.
This award was created in memory of John Homstad, a longtime volunteer Master’s Builder who passed away from cancer last year. It will be awarded yearly to individuals, groups and organizations that go above and beyond, advocate for Habitat and demonstrate leadership as John did during his time with us. We are honored to give this award on his behalf.
Selfless giving from supporters like you helps us continue to push our boundaries, forge new partnerships and extend our ministry’s reach. Help us dream big by making a donation today! Plus, explore this page to learn about exciting projects and the people we serve through your support.
Donate Online
Pursuing dreams of homeownership
As the cost of homeownership continues to climb because of rising building costs, higher mortgage interest rates and a growing community, many of our neighbors are finding that buying a home feels out of reach. You can make homeownership possible again for people like Dalonda. Dalonda is a single mom pursuing her dream of homeownership to build a better future for her and her two daughters. Thanks to donors like you, she’ll be able to purchase her home with an affordable mortgage next year!
Fostering career dreams
For over a decade, we’ve partnered with technical education programs to help foster the next generation of builders. Because of the past generosity to these programs, we were able to add a third school partnership this year with Harrisburg CTE. Now, more than 200 students each school year will receive hands-on construction training by building a Habitat home! Your donation will support these students and the future of our construction workforce as they develop key skills and give back to their community.
Dreaming of a fresh start
The City of Sioux Falls has recently been pushing to address a number of vacant houses in the community. Sadly, these often-run-down houses decrease property values of the whole neighborhood and take away greatly needed housing opportunities. We’re excited to expand our impact by rehabilitating some of these houses through a pilot project with the city!
Our first rehab house is currently in progress. With help from amazing volunteer groups, we took the deteriorating house down to the studs this spring to give it a fresh start and have been working to get the exterior ready for the winter. While there’s much to be done on the inside, it’s looking like a brand-new house. We can’t wait to finish it up, so it can become home for a local family.
Check out these progress photos to see how your support can improve our neighborhoods.
Before
The front of the house had a broken front door, unusual roof line and overgrown landscaping.
Before
The back of the house had a deteriorating deck and broken siding.
Before
Walls were covered in spray painted graffiti, and light bulbs were exposed.
Before
Debris was piled in rooms leading to stained walls and floors.
Before
The basement was crowded with debris and had unsafe electrical wiring.
Before
The garage door was broken and siding was peeling off the garage exterior.
Trash Cleanup
The first thing we had to do was clean up all the trash that was strewn throughout the yard. Thank goodness for rubber gloves!
Deconstruction
Over the course of a week in June, a mission team helped us deconstruct the interior of the house. Their songs and positivity made this difficult (and smelly) job a whole lot more fun!
Deconstruction
We ripped out the drywall and old windows.
Deconstruction
All the old drywall and insulation was shoveled up and removed.
Deconstruction
By the end of the week, the interior of the home was down to the studs!
Deconstruction
The two dormers were removed from the roofline with help from our fantastic Master's Builders.
Deconstruction
The old siding was removed.
Deconstruction
By the middle of September, we were done with almost all of the house deconstruction.
Deconstruction
By the middle of September, we were done with almost all of the house deconstruction.
Rehab
Woods Roofing, Inc. generously donated their services to shingle the house and garage for us.
Rehab
Goodbye, plywood. Hello, new windows!
Rehab
New siding went up in the fall.
Rehab
We also built a new front porch and stairs covered by a little gable roof.
Rehab
With a little more work, we were able to finish up the home's exterior in October. This winter, we'll continue working on the interior of the home. Thanks to everyone who has helped us make so much progress on this rehab house!
Building Habitat’s dreams for the future
All these programs, partnerships and projects started out with someone’s dream to make our community better. Those dreams were realized when people stepped up with their time, energy and resources to get the job done. At Habitat, we have big dreams for the future, but we can’t accomplish them on our own. We need your support. Help us make our dreams a reality by donating today!
On September 10 and 11, MasterBrand joined Habitat to assist a Sioux Falls veteran with home repairs. The cabinetry company generously sponsored the entire project and brought volunteers from their local StarMark and national headquarters. Many of their volunteers were also veterans, and one of our homeowners from 2007 happened to be among the group, as well.
Chuck, the homeowner, served our country for over a decade in both the Air Force and Air National Guard, and he drove a truck for many years after his service. Now in his 70s, Chuck enjoys watching his grandkids with his wife, JoAnn. While he used to do the maintenance on his home, it’s started to fall behind due to recent health issues.
We were able to help Chuck and JoAnn with those maintenance needs by replacing shingles, painting the exterior of the home and installing new countertops in their kitchen and bathroom. It was a fun couple of days to work together and talk with the couple. We’re grateful for MasterBrand’s partnership that allowed us to give back to a man who bravely served our country for so many years.
About Sponsorship
When you sponsor a project, you get to physically and financially support a local household when they need it most. Your team will get the opportunity to volunteer on the project and see firsthand how their company is giving back to the community.
If you or your employer is interested in sponsoring a future project, please reach out to Rocky Welker, our executive director, at 605-274-6280 or via email. We would love to make a difference with you!
Habitat recently received a generous donation from the James and Marlene Winker Charitable Trust. The $250,000 endowment will help Habitat create lasting change in our community for generations to come! Habitat’s team had the honor of meeting James and Marlene’s children as they presented us with the check on behalf of their departed parents. This gift is just one of many they granted to nonprofit organizations in Sioux Falls. We are so thankful for the Winker family’s gift and cannot wait to see all the good that comes from their generosity over the years.
About the Winkers
James and Marlene lived in Sioux Falls for 61 years getting connected to Habitat through their church. James worked at Raven for 35 years and was instrumental in the field of hot air ballooning. Marlene cared for their five children enjoying gardening, sewing and playing the organ. The couple went on many ballooning adventures together all over the world.
About Legacy Giving
Legacy giving takes many forms. Whether you want your gift to work during your lifetime or after your passing, you can leave a lasting legacy through Habitat.
The 2024 Homeownership program application round will be open October 1-31, 2024. There are a few different ways to get an application this year – please review all the options to determine which will be most helpful for you.
Monday, September 30 // 11 AM-1:30 PM or 4-6:30 PM. The Habitat team will be available to distribute application packets and answer any questions during the listed time frames. No appointment is needed.
Monday, October 7 // 10 AM-5:30 PM The Habitat team will be available to distribute application packets, answer questions, review your application for completeness and advise you if there is anything missing. Individual help will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, unless a prescheduled appointment has been made with Lisa. Call 605-274-6290 to schedule an appointment for October 7.
Online
Starting September 30, ending October 31. You can download an application packet from the Habitat website. You must print the application form and fill it out. Habitat does not offer an online application process.
Starting October 1, ending October 31. Application forms will be available inside the front entrance of the Habitat building at 721 E. Amidon during Habitat ReStore business hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 AM-6 PM. The building is closed on Mondays.
Keep in Mind
The application packet will include instructions for how, where and when to submit the application.
Please review the list of required documentation that must be submitted with the application form! Do not submit your application unless you have included copies of ALL required identification and financial documentation.
Avast ye hearties for the Raise the Roof Reckoning! Grab yer mateys, put a feather in yer cap and chart a course to The District on Friday, March 28.
Ye must uncover a murderous scallywag plaguing the seven seas. Jest Murder Mystery Co. will be back again this year serving up laughs and guiding ye to solve the mystery. Take part in the action or sit back and enjoy the show. With mouthwatering food from ROAM, this is a night ye won’t want to miss!
The Raise the Roof Reckoning will be raising doubloons to fund Habitat for Humanity programs. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, February 5, so make sure ye aren’t marooned without a seat.
If ye want to shore up yer ticket, sponsorships are now available! Bring yer whole crew (of up to 8 or 16) and get yer name on a table for all the other pirates to see. Contact Habitat’s Captain (Executive Director) Rocky Welker at 605-274-6280 or email rocky.welker@siouxfallshabitat.org for more information.
Check back here for updates about the event.
What should ye wear?
We know ye don’t want to stick out like a landlubber, so we created this guide to get ye in ship shape for the reckoning! We don’t want to weigh anchor on yer creativity, though…think outside of the treasure box. Come as the kraken, a parrot or even the Jolly Roger. We can’t wait to see what ye come up with!
Women Build 2024 presented by The First National Bank in Sioux Falls is almost here! This empowering event will bring together women in our community to learn or refine construction skills and work to build and repair homes for our neighbors in need. The volunteer event will take place across two weeks with morning and afternoon shifts available September 25-28 and October 2 and 4. Shifts are first-come, first-served, so be sure to sign up soon!
There is a $10 registration fee to reserve your spot which helps cover the cost of lunch and a Women Build 2024 t-shirt. Due to the nature of volunteer construction, we cannot guarantee a specific location or task. However, the tentative plan for each shift will be listed on the shift registration when we get nearer to the event. Businesses and groups interested in volunteering during Women Build are encouraged to email Brittany, Habitat’s volunteer coordinator.
When you volunteer, please wear clothing that can get dirty, closed-toed shoes and work gloves. You’re welcome to bring your own safety glasses if you have them. All other supplies will be provided. We can’t wait to build with you!
We had the joy of celebrating four home dedications in our Millard Acres development on Friday, August 16! Congratulations to Neway, Netsanet, Shyam, Yasodha, Tiegisti, Hamed, Laila and their families for all the hard work they put in to be able to purchase their homes through Habitat. It’s been almost ten years since Habitat last dedicated four homes at once, and we’re happy to have been able to bring together the Millard Acres neighborhood to do so again!
Millard Acres is Habitat’s first development project that began in 2020. With the dedication of these four homes, it’s over halfway complete, and construction on the next six housing units begins this month. When the development is finished, it will provide 26 families with safe and stable housing.
These homes were made possible by the generosity of our presenting sponsors Pathward, Wells Fargo and Citibank. Thank you to Kinder Future Fund, First Premier Bank, BNSF Railway, U.S. Bank, Target, Resale Living, MaxLite and the Congressional Church of Amery for their significant contributions. We would also like to thank our many other corporate and private donors and volunteers for their support. Thank you to Project Warm-Up for presenting each member of the families with a blanket, as well.
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls has now completed 193 homes, providing 307 adults and 726 children with secure, affordable housing.
The 2024 application opportunity for the homeownership program will be open October 1-31, 2024. In August, Habitat’s homeowner services coordinator and family selection committee volunteers will be hosting information meetings at the downtown library.
At each meeting, Habitat staff will review the current eligibility criteria, application process, construction locations and timelines, and eligibility screening tools. Staff and committee members will be available to interact with applicants and answer questions.
Meetings are free and open to the public, but registration is required if you wish to reserve a spot and receive reminder notifications. All applicants are encouraged to attend, even those who have applied in the past. Household members 14 and older are welcome.
• Thursday, August 1 @ 12 p.m. (Habitat staff present from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
• Thursday, August 1 @ 5 p.m. (Habitat staff present from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.)
• Friday, August 30 @ 12 p.m. (Habitat staff present from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
• Friday, August 30 @ 3 p.m. (Habitat staff present from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.)
Our Rock the Block event will be back and bigger than ever this spring! We’re completing projects in the Whittier neighborhood June 18-21. Thank you to all who applied. Our fantastic volunteers can’t wait to help you with your project!
Plus, mark your calendars for a free block party in Meldrum Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 22! After completing all our home improvement projects, we want to celebrate the amazing Whittier neighborhood and the work we accomplished together. This family friendly event is one you won’t want to miss!
We could not put on Rock the Block without our generous volunteers and partners! Whether you’re a Whittier resident or a surrounding community member, we’d love to find a way to get you involved.
To learn more about how you can get involved, click here.
