Our Family Selection committee and Board of Directors approved eight applicants for partnership in our Homeownership program for the 2026-27 build season! These homebuyer partners applied in October 2025, met all general eligibility and financial requirements and proved themselves to be a good fit for the Habitat program through their interview, home visit and other screening steps. We’re excited to work with them as they build their homes, take homebuyer education classes and earn the opportunity to purchase their homes.
Future Granite Valley Neighbors
During the 2025–26 school year, students from CTE Academy, Harrisburg High School, and Southeast Technical College built three single-family Habitat homes. This summer, those homes will be moved onto their foundations in the Granite Valley neighborhood, and the rest of the construction process will be completed on site. Two additional single-family homes will begin construction in the neighborhood during this build season. We’re excited to welcome these future Granite Valley homebuyers into the program:
Akberet & Habtom
Angela
Mukhtar & Gono
Olesia & Iurii
Tylon
Future Emerson Neighbors
We’ll begin building one twin home this summer on a lot in the Sioux Falls neighborhood of Emerson. The home design will be similar to twin homes in our Millard Acres development. Our future Emerson twin home neighbors are:
Fiyeri
Kibrom & Saron
Future Rehab Home Neighbors
We’re continuing our partnership with the City of Sioux Falls to purchase homes in need of rehabilitation. Emanuel and Faya were selected for our new Cliff Ave. rehab home. Revitalization work will begin later this year.
If you see any of these families around town or on one of our build sites, please help us welcome them to the Habitat family and encourage them on their journey to homeownership!
You’re invited to join us at the Habitat for Humanity building from 7:30-9 a.m. on Wednesday, June 24 as we host the Chamber’s Morning Mingle event. Enjoy coffee, juice and a light breakfast while mingling with Chamber members and fellow Habitat supporters. Tours of the building will be offered throughout the event with a program starting around 8:30 a.m. We hope to see you there!
Habitat saw some incredible generosity over the last few months from Member Impact Fund grants in partnership with Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines! In total, we received over $300,000 from eight financial institutions who partnered with FHLB Des Moines. These life-changing funds will open doors to affordable homeownership for local individuals and families and support students in area schools learning the construction trades. A big thank you to their teams for building brighter futures with Habitat!
Cornerstone Bank
Thank you to Cornerstone Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines for awarding us an $8,750 Member Impact Fund grant!
CorTrust Bank
Thank you to CorTrust Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines for awarding us an $8,750 Member Impact Fund grant!
First Bank & Trust
Thank you to First Bank & Trust and Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines for awarding us a $17,500 Member Impact Fund grant!
The First National Bank in Sioux Falls
Thank you to The First National Bank in Sioux Falls and Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines for awarding us a $36,750 Member Impact Fund grant!
First PREMIER Bank & PREMIER Bankcard
Thank you to First PREMIER Bank & PREMIER Bankcard and Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines for awarding us a $91,000 Member Impact Fund grant!
Minnwest Bank
Thank you to Minnwest Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines for awarding us an $8,750 Member Impact Fund grant!
Pathward
Thank you to Pathward and Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines for awarding us a $65,625 Member Impact Fund grant!
Sammons Financial
Thank you to Midland National Life and North American Company for Life and Health (you may know them better as Sammons Financial Group) and Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines for awarding us a $70,000 Member Impact Fund grant!
We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Stronghold ICF to build a twin home in our Millard Acres development. The partnership through The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s (NRMCA) Build with Strength coalition is part of a wider initiative to construct 50 sustainable concrete homes in 50 states. Stronghold ICF is generously donating all the insulated concrete form (ICF) block for the twin home which will be sold to future homebuyers in our Homeownership program at the end of 2026.
“Stronghold ICF is proud to partner with Habitat for Humanity on the Sioux Falls, SD build,” says Terry Thue, sales representative for Stronghold ICF. “This project represents more than construction—it’s an opportunity to invest in the community while educating current and future homeowners on the long-term benefits of ICF construction. From superior strength and durability to enhanced energy efficiency, comfort, and resilience, ICF homes provide lasting value for families for generations to come.”
ICF is a sustainable, noncombustible concrete building system that reduces upfront expenses and on-site construction time while maximizing the structure’s durability and energy performance. We’ve utilized ICF for each of the 13 twin homes in our Millard Acres development. After Millard Acres is complete, we plan to continue using the ICF building system on future projects.
Habitat’s Millard Acres development
“Building with ICF has been a great fit for our twin homes,” says Rocky Welker, Habitat’s executive director. “Not only are the homes sturdy, energy-efficient and affordable, but the shared concrete wall acts as a sound barrier to give twin home neighbors peace and privacy. We’re grateful to Stronghold and the NRMCA for this partnership that will build stability for two families in our community.”
Those interested in learning about ICF block are welcome to volunteer in Millard Acres over the coming weeks as we stack ICF block for our last three twin homes in the development. Learn more about volunteering on new construction and sign up here.
About Stronghold ICF
Stronghold ICF is an Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) manufacturer with a mission that builds trust by helping their customers build with confidence and peace of mind. Their patented ICF block offers industry-leading features that are engineered for superior performance and a smarter investment for homeowners. Distributed nationwide, Stronghold ICF is supported in the Midwest by Benchmark Foam, a South Dakota manufacturer since 1988. To learn more about how Stronghold ICF can support your next project, contact Stronghold at 1‑877‑433‑1880 to talk with their team about ICF construction.
About Homeownership
The Habitat Homeownership program is an affordable housing opportunity for households in Minnehaha, Lincoln and Turner counties that meet residency and financial requirements. Households are evaluated based on their need, ability to pay and willingness to partner. Selected households help build and repair homes with Habitat staff and volunteers and take homebuyer education classes. When they’ve completed all program requirements and their home construction is complete, they are eligible to purchase the home with an affordable mortgage through Habitat.
Thank you to our wonderful community of volunteers, donors, ReStore customers and advocates for believing in the power of home and opening doors with us in 2025. From building and repairing homes to providing the next generation of builders with hands-on construction experience, we’re creating life-changing opportunities together.
More detailed financial information and past impact reports can be found on our Financial Reports page.
We’re partnering with Owen’s Outfitters through our Neighborhood Revitalization (NR) program to complete renovations in their new warehouse! Over the next couple of weeks, Habitat staff and volunteers are painting the warehouse and reflooring the bathrooms.
“We are incredibly grateful to partner with Habitat for Humanity on this project,” says Mike Turner, executive director of Owen’s Outfitters. “Their willingness to invest time and skilled labor into improving our warehouse and bathrooms directly impacts our ability to serve families in need. When nonprofits work together, the impact is multiplied to help the entire community.”
The warehouse, which opened in July of 2025, provides Owen’s Outfitters with much needed space, but some elements of the older building are showing their age. Since the organization gives medical equipment to hundreds of families each month, they need a space that’s clean and professional to make people feel welcome and cared for. Having worked with our organization in the past, they reached out to see if our NR program could help make it possible.
“Owen’s Outfitters is a wonderful organization filling a real need in our community,” says Rocky Welker, Habitat’s executive director. “Like our NR program, it helps people by easing a financial burden they may not have been expecting. We’re excited to partner with them again and connect volunteers with the work of both of our missions.”
We also partner with Owen’s Outfitters when medical equipment is donated to our ReStore! Since our store focuses on home improvement and furnishings, we bring those donations of medical equipment to Owen’s Outfitters to ensure they get a second life with someone who needs it.
Owen’s Outfitters is a medical equipment lending library located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Their mission is to provide durable and disposable medical equipment at no charge to those who need it most, sourced through community donations. They clean, sort and organize the donations before giving them away to anyone in need regardless of income, age, sex, race or insurance status.
Our NR program assists homeowners year-round with affordable home repairs, accessibility modifications and yard cleanup. Homeowners that meet project, income and residency guidelines may apply for the program. Accepted projects are completed by Habitat staff and volunteers with homeowners paying for a portion of project materials.
On November 21, we welcomed home four families home for the holidays in our Millard Acres development! Congratulations to Mitiku, Emebet, Wegihu, Bisrat, Tesfaye, Okuba and their families for all the hard work they put into the program, building their homes and taking homebuyer education classes. We hope they enjoy filling their new homes with joy, love and special memories this holiday season!
Meet Mitiku & Emebet
Mitiku and Emebet were both born and raised in Ethiopia but came to the U.S. for better opportunities, finding that Sioux Falls had good schools, less crime and was a good place to raise children. Emebet works full-time at a production facility, and Mitiku works part-time due to ongoing pain and physical limitations from a work injury. Though they lived in an apartment with safety and maintenance issues, it was unaffordable for them to purchase a home on their own.
When friends and family shared Habitat’s program with them, they applied and were accepted in April 2024. After many years of financial difficulty and discouragement because of Mitiku’s work injury, they now own their own home and can provide safety for their children and have a place to celebrate holidays with family and friends. “It is like a dream come true!”
Meet Wegihu & Bisrat
Wegihu and Bisrat are an Eritrean couple that moved to Sioux Falls for a quiet place to raise their children. Growing up, Wegihu enjoyed farming with his family in an Eritrean village, but Bisrat’s family lived in a refugee camp in Sudan that was not a very safe place. Now, Wegihu works full-time as a medication aid for a local retirement home and Bisrat cares for their three children.
Their family was renting an apartment, but the cost was continuing to increase and apartment life was making Bisrat’s health issues more difficult to manage. When they were approved for Habitat’s program, they were excited to build and own their own home with support from the community. Their home has more space for the children to play and sing, and it’s a healthier environment for Bisrat, with no one smoking and no stairs to climb.
Meet Tesfaye
Tesfaye was a teacher in Ethiopia before he immigrated to the U.S. over a decade ago. He liked that Sioux Falls had good jobs, friendly people and many cultures. Tesfaye, his wife and their three children lived in an apartment with crowding issues. Apartment life was also difficult for his wife and youngest daughter who have health issues. Even though he works full-time at a retail warehouse, it was unaffordable to purchase a home on the open market.
Tesfaye was approved for our Homeownership program in April 2024, and he said, “Owning a home will change our lives for the better. It will provide more safety, and the kids will have more space.” Their family is thankful and happy for the support they received from the community and the Habitat program.
Meet Okuba
Okuba grew up in Eritrea, moving to a refugee camp when her home country was no longer safe. She immigrated to the U.S. and liked that Sioux Falls was a small city with opportunities for education and a better life. She and her three children live in an apartment with crowding, maintenance and management issues. Even though she makes a good income from working full-time at a local production facility, purchasing a home was unaffordable.
When her Eritrean community told her about Habitat, she applied for our program and was accepted in April 2024. She is appreciative that the community was willing to help her family and knows that homeownership will change her family’s life because they will have a safe and healthy environment.
These homes were made possible by the generosity of The Bancorp, the CNH Industrial Foundation, Wells Fargo, Pathward, Citibank, First PREMIER Bank & PREMIER Bankcard and the U.S. Bank Foundation. We would also like to thank our many other corporate and private donors for their support.
We would like to thank Project Warm-Up for their donation of blankets and Ben Reifel Middle School for making welcome home kits and signs for our new homebuyers.
Thank you to the 664 volunteers who devoted 4,450 hours to building these homes alongside these four families.
Last year, you blew us away with your Giving Tuesday generosity, not only meeting the match but exceeding it. We’re excited to announce that an anonymous donor has offered to match gifts again this Giving Tuesday up to $10,000, and we need your help to meet the match! With your support we can finish the last three twin homes in Millard Acres, our first ever housing development, bringing safety and security to six local families. Mark your calendars for December 2 and get ready to double your difference!
Thanks for helping us meet the match!
Updated @ 12 a.m. on 12/03/2025
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 helping families build a brighter future for generations to come. Make a difference with us today!
We’re thrilled to announce the 2025 recipient of the John Homstad Volunteer of the Year award – Sheila Hoff! Sheila is a local realtor who joined our Board of Directors in 2017, taking on the role of board president in 2022 until she termed off the board in 2023. In addition to her board service, she was a member of the Family Selection Committee and helped review and select households for the Homeownership program. She transitioned to the Fund Development Committee in 2022 where she now helps raise money for Habitat programs by assisting with our annual Raise the Roof event and building community relationships.
Sheila’s work is not confined to her roles on our board and committees! She’s volunteered on numerous home builds over the years and helps secure land for future projects, ensuring we can continue building safe, affordable homes for families in our community. She is a tremendous asset to our organization. Thank you, Sheila, for your leadership, generosity and commitment to further Habitat’s mission!
About the Award
The John Homstad Volunteer of the Year award was created in memory of John Homstad, a longtime volunteer Master’s Builder who passed away from cancer in 2023. 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.
Thanks to supporters like you, we are celebrating our 200th family moving into a safe, affordable home through our ministry! Yet, there are so many more in our community who find homeownership out of reach. Help us open doors for the next 200 families by making a gift today!
Our goal is to raise $95,000 by Jan. 17 to lay foundations for the last three twin homes in our Millard Acres neighborhood! With your support, we can bring stability to six more families and complete our first ever housing development.
Want to learn more about how Habitat’s work is making a difference? Explore this page to hear from past and present Habitat homebuyers about the power of home.
The First Open Door
When Linda, a single mom, purchased the very first Habitat home in Sioux Falls, what she wanted most was stability for her children. She built that stability alongside the community of people who stepped up and supported her. Though the Sioux Empire and our ministry have changed a lot over the past 35 years, what remains the same is the life-changing impact your support makes possible.
The 200th Celebration
On October 3, we welcomed twin home neighbors Dalonda and Vickie into their new homes and celebrated the milestone of 200 Habitat homes in Greater Sioux Falls. Both of these hard-working women were thrilled to achieve their housing goals and will be wonderful additions to our Millard Acres neighborhood. Throughout the day, they expressed their gratitude to everyone who supported them along the way and their excitement for the freedom and opportunities they now have as homeowners. Their joy is a reminder that your generosity doesn’t just build houses, it builds futures.
The Key to the Next 200
Making homeownership a reality for our neighbors like Linda, Dalonda and Vickie doesn’t happen on its own. It happens because people like you choose to give. We’re grateful for everyone who partnered with us over the past 35 years to bring safe, affordable housing to 200 families. There is much more work to be done, and it can only be done together. Will you make a gift today to create life-changing opportunities for the next 200 families?
On October 3, we had the pleasure of celebrating our milestone of 200 homes by welcoming home twin home neighbors Dalonda and Vickie! Each of these hardworking women completed their partnership requirements and purchased their Millard Acres homes that morning with an affordable mortgage provided by Habitat.
We then got to celebrate with their friends, family and Habitat supporters at the 200th Home Dedication Celebration! Linda, our first Habitat homeowner in Sioux Falls, joined us to help hand over keys and gift a “home” doormat like the one she was given at her own home dedication 35 years ago. It was a special day full of joy, laughter and the amazing people that work with us to build homes, communities and hope.
Students at Ben Reifel Middle School made welcome home signs for our new homeowners.
Dalonda and Vickie are twin home neighbors in Habitat's Millard Acres development.
Dedication day was the first time Dalonda's daughters got to see the inside of their new home. This is their first look!
Dalonda's daughters were so excited they had a driveway to do sidewalk chalk on. They made a welcome message for all their guests.
Linda, Habitat's first homebuyer in Sioux Falls, purchased her home in 1991. She still lives in her home and joined us for the 200th home dedication celebration to hand over keys to Dalonda.
We're grateful for all the supporters who came out to the dedication to celebrate our milestone of 200 homes and welcome Dalonda and Vickie into their new homes!
Linda presented a "home" doormat similar to one she was given on her dedication day 35 years ago.
Project Warm-Up presented Vickie, Dalonda and Dalonda's daughters with blankets during the dedication.
Linda presented Dalonda with keys to her new home. Both women were single moms with two children when they purchased their Habitat homes.
Dalonda adds her key to a sign with keys representing each of the 200 homes Habitat has dedicated since 1991.
Kevin from Pathward, one of the major supporters of this build, presents Vickie with a key to her new home.
Meet Dalonda
Growing up, Dalonda lived in several cities and towns including Sioux Falls and moved back for the amazing opportunities and variety of family-friendly activities. She works full-time as an education assistant and part-time as a server at an area restaurant. While she saved up for a place of her own, Dalonda and her two daughters were sharing rent and living space with a relative in an affordable apartment building that had vandalism and safety issues. However, buying a home was unaffordable because of the high market prices.
When a family member encouraged her to look into Habitat’s Homeownership program, she decided to apply in October 2023. In April 2024, Dalonda was accepted into the program and worked hard to build a stable home for her daughters. The girls finally got to see inside their home on dedication day and were excited to do all the things they couldn’t do in their apartment like sidewalk chalk and painting the walls whatever color they wanted.
Vickie grew up in rural South Dakota where her family enjoyed farming and country living. She’s called Sioux Falls home for the last 33 years and likes the caring and diverse community of our city. Many years ago, she found herself unemployed which caused her to spiral into homelessness. Vickie worked hard to regain full-time employment and get a studio apartment.
She now works full-time as a housekeeping manager at one of the Sioux Falls hotels. Though she’d been saving up for a downpayment on a home, purchasing a home through a traditional mortgage was not affordable. When she heard about Habitat’s program on the news, she applied in October 2023 and was approved for partnership in April 2024. Vickie is deeply grateful for acceptance into the Habitat for Humanity program and believes this is a huge blessing.
Dalonda and Vickie’s homes were made possible by the generosity of Pathward, the Kinder Future Fund, U.S. Bank Foundation, Bluestone Federal Credit Union, Mead Lumber, Hy-Vee, Kwik Star and Scheels. We would also like to thank our many other corporate and private donors for their support.
Thank you to Project Warm-Up for their donation of blankets and Ben Reifel Middle School for making welcome home kits and signs for our new homebuyers.
Thank you to the 462 volunteers who devoted 2,062 hours to building these homes alongside Vickie and Dalonda.
The 2025 Homeownership program application round is open October 1-31, 2025. Review the following options for getting an application packet.
Online Download
From September 30-October 31, you will be able to download and print application materials from the Habitat website. Habitat does not offer an online application process for submitting the application form and required ID and financial documents.
Office Pickup
From October 1-31, application packets will be available at the new Habitat administrative offices.
On September 30 from 11 AM-2 PM, Habitat will host an application distribution event at the downtown library in Sioux Falls (200 N. Dakota Ave.) in Meeting Room A. Applicants can pick up an application packet and interact with Habitat staff and family selection committee volunteers.
Options for Submitting Your Application
Mail to: Attn: Lisa Ross Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls 721 E. Amidon Street Sioux Falls, SD 57104
Dropbox: You can submit your application by dropping it in our new secure dropbox outside of our administrative offices 24 hours a day. The dropbox is checked daily during our office hours.
In-person: From October 1-24, you have the option to contact the Habitat office to request an appointment for application review and submission. Appointments will be limited to 15 minutes and can only be granted if the application is complete and ready to submit.
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.
