“Focus will set you free.” These five words pushed us to think big in Q1 and break down how to harness our time and energy more effectively to grow our impact in our communities and beyond.
Your support helped us power through the age of Covid in 2020 and into 2021. Because of this, we started the year with a renewed sense of purpose and five words in front of us: “Focus will set you free.” These five words pushed us to think big in Q1 and break down how to harness our time and energy more effectively to grow our impact in our communities and beyond.
We honed our focus to develop our strategy and power our big goal of housing one million people in the next 10 years. We moved to create more bandwidth within our team and bring more talented team members into the fold across all departments.
The quarter closed with Fast Company naming us one of the most innovative not-for-profit organizations for the fourth time. Here are a few other highlights from this quarter:
We gained nine new team members this quarter, mainly in our Growth and Impact Teams, many virtual hiring happy hours later. Our recent Growth Team members live across the U.S. in Atlanta, Colorado, and Pennsylvania.
Our new Impact Team members officially kickstart our Mexico City office. They will be working on the ground to increase our footprint in the region and build relationships with our local partners. We’re excited to have them on board.
We have more prospects in the pipeline to join our team in the next few months across all departments.
Located in the Morelos region, Ocuituco is southeast of Mexico City. Many families in this area were severely impacted by the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck the region in September 2017.
Many low-income families in the area lost their homes and haven’t been able to recover. The median monthly income per family is $108 per month, with housekeeping and agriculture being the top two income sources. We’re working with our partner Échale to support the families in this community.
Ocuituco reached 74% completion at the end of Q1, with 55 out of 85 homes fully completed. The remaining homes are in various stages of construction and will be ready for move-in in early summer.
Abelina, 74, lives in Ocuituco with her daughter and her granddaughter. They were one of the many families affected by the 2017 earthquake. She has endured much loss in her life including losing her mother, who passed away while giving birth to her sister, and husband.
Abelina and her family’s original home had a dirt floor with a roof and walls made out of galvanized metal pieces. The space is small, leaving them with very little room to sleep. She often suffers from migraines that prevent her from sleeping well.
The best part of her day is spending time with her animals. Abelina has chickens, a turkey, a dog, two cats, a quail and a rabbit. She raises and sells animals as a form of income as well.
This past March, Abelina and her family saw their new home for the first time. They will move into their new home early this summer.
Homebuilding breakdown – total # and breakdown by country
Our team has worked hard, adapted, and pushed through anything this pandemic has thrown at them. They embody our value, Team of Founders, with their ownership and passion for our mission. As we grow, we’re pushing to keep up that momentum. We’re so grateful to have you along for the ride as we work — together — to impact the lives of these families one home at a time.
Sign up for our newsletter
