Building Stability, Strengthening Families

A Habitat for Humanity home begins long before a family receives the keys.

It begins with someone deciding to give. A volunteer picking up a hammer. A business contributing materials or expertise. A community partner making a connection. And a future homeowner putting in the work to build a stronger future for their family.

At Habitat for Humanity Cabarrus County, all of those pieces come together to create something much bigger than a house.

For Megan Keul, Director of Development at Habitat Cabarrus, watching that process unfold has been one of the most meaningful parts of her time with the organization. She recently had the opportunity to follow one family's journey from the time the walls of their home began going up through the final dedication.

"You get to really see that full cycle take place, especially when you're going through the building process," Megan says.

The home was recently dedicated to a mother and her three children. After months of preparation and construction, the family now has a new four-bedroom home and a place to begin their next chapter.

But their journey to homeownership involved much more than receiving the keys.

A Home Built with Hard Work

One of the biggest misconceptions about Habitat for Humanity is that families are simply given a house.

In reality, Habitat homeownership is a partnership.

Future homeowners invest their own time and energy into the process. Habitat Cabarrus homeowners complete more than 250 hours of sweat equity, which may include working alongside volunteers and construction teams as their homes are being built. They also participate in homeownership education that helps prepare them for the responsibilities ahead, including topics such as credit scores, mortgages, and escrow.

The recent homeowner and her three children are an example of the commitment that process requires.

Megan describes the mother as someone who stands out.

"She's a great person. She's one of those that kind of sticks with you," Megan says. Despite the many challenges and "life happenings" she has faced, Megan says the mother continued to go above and beyond throughout the process nearly doubling er committed hours to the organization.

Now, the mother and her children will have the stability of a four-bedroom home where they can create new memories and build their future.

For Habitat Cabarrus, that moment is the result of an entire community working together.

The family brings determination. Volunteers bring their time. Donors provide financial support. Businesses and contractors contribute resources and expertise. Community partners help make connections.

And eventually, all of those individual contributions become a home.

More Than Building Homes

While new home construction is one of the most visible parts of Habitat Cabarrus' work, the organization's mission reaches far beyond building houses.

Habitat Cabarrus is focused on housing stability, helping families pursue affordable homeownership while also helping existing homeowners remain safely in the homes they already have.

Through its Critical Home Repair program, Habitat Cabarrus has completed nearly 700 repairs throughout the county, including HVAC replacements, roof repairs, and accessibility improvements such as ramps.

"Safe and affordable housing creates that stability just in a lot of different components," Megan explains.

That stability can affect every part of a family's life.

A safe, reliable home can provide the foundation families need to focus on their jobs, their children's education, their finances, and their future.

Habitat Cabarrus is also expanding its housing counseling and education efforts to provide more support for future homeowners as they move through the process.

"We're trying to create that pathway to stability," Megan says.

For the organization, the goal is not simply to help someone move into a house. It is to help families build the knowledge, equity, and foundation needed for long-term success.

Investing in Habitat's Future

Community support is essential to building homes and completing critical repairs. But Habitat Cabarrus is also focused on something equally important: ensuring the organization itself has the financial strength to continue serving the community for years to come.

That is one reason Habitat Cabarrus has established an Agency Reserve Fund with the Greater Cabarrus Foundation.

An Agency Reserve Fund is a non-permanent, quasi-endowed fund established by a nonprofit for its own benefit. Unlike a permanent endowment, the agency can access the fund when needed and use the proceeds for whatever purpose best supports its mission and operations.

For Habitat Cabarrus, the Reserve Fund creates a way to build financial resources over time while maintaining flexibility to respond to changing needs. Community members, businesses, and other supporters can make charitable contributions directly to the fund, helping Habitat build a stronger financial foundation for the future.

"For us, long-term sustainability really gives us the ability to plan," Megan says.

That ability to plan means Habitat can look beyond the next urgent challenge and focus on the bigger picture: continuing to build homes, complete critical repairs, support future homeowners, and respond to the evolving housing needs of Cabarrus County.

Investing in Habitat's Reserve Fund is also a way for the community to invest in the organization's long-term capacity. The resources can help ensure Habitat Cabarrus has the flexibility to remain focused on its mission and continue building pathways to housing stability as needs arise.

"It’s more than just that one home that might be built," Megan says. "Investing locally means that you're building the capacity to really keep this work here long term."

Community members who would like to support Habitat Cabarrus' long-term sustainability can make a gift directly to their Agency Reserve Fund by visiting the following link and selecting Habitat for Humanity Cabarrus County: greatercabarrusfoundation.org/agency-funds

Collaboration Makes the Work Possible

Housing challenges are complex, and Habitat Cabarrus does not address them alone.

A single project can bring together Habitat staff, local contractors, businesses, volunteers, funders, and community partners. The organization also works with local municipalities and Cabarrus County to help identify homeowners who may need assistance and connect them with available resources.

"One organization might have the funding, one might have the volunteers, one might just have a relationship with a family who needs assistance," Megan says. "When those pieces come together, we can solve more problems effectively and more efficiently than one organization could do on its own."

That collaborative spirit is one of the things that makes Habitat's work possible.

The recent home dedication is a perfect example. One family will walk into a home of their own, but the journey was made possible by many people who chose to contribute something.

Someone may have donated a dollar.

Someone else may have donated a day of their time.

A contractor may have contributed expertise.

A volunteer may have helped build a wall.

Each contribution mattered.

Growing With Intention

As Cabarrus County continues to grow, Habitat Cabarrus sees opportunities to think creatively about the future of housing.

That includes continuing to build new homes, helping existing homeowners remain safely in their homes, expanding housing education, and finding new ways to support families at different stages of their housing journey.

But affordability remains a significant concern.

"Affordability is obviously our biggest concern," Megan says. "As the county grows, we've got to make sure people who have already lived here and work here can continue to live here."

Habitat Cabarrus is also mindful of the needs of an aging population and the importance of helping existing homeowners make critical repairs and accessibility modifications that allow them to remain safely in their homes.

As the community changes, Habitat's work will continue changing with it.

A New Opportunity for Future Homeowners

Habitat for Humanity Cabarrus County will open its homeownership application process in fall 2026, creating a new opportunity for local families who are ready to pursue affordable homeownership.

Prospective homeowners are encouraged to keep an eye on Habitat Cabarrus' website for the upcoming announcement: habitatcabarrus.org

The application process is the beginning of a journey that requires commitment, preparation, sweat equity, and education. For the families who become Habitat homeowners, however, that investment can lead to something life-changing: a safe, stable place to call home and the opportunity to build a stronger future.

For more information about how to support the long-term sustainability of nonprofit organizations in Cabarrus County, learn more about Agency Funds at the Greater Cabarrus Foundation: greatercabarrusfoundation.org/agency-funds

And for one mother and her three children, that future is already beginning with the keys to a new four-bedroom home.