For nearly 40 years, Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity has been a champion for affordable housing in Dallas County. Rooted in a belief in fairness, responsibility, and stewardship—principles born at Koinonia Farm, the birthplace of the Habitat movement—our organization has partnered with neighbors to equip more families with the education, resources, and support they need on the journey to homeownership.

When I joined Dallas Habitat, I recognized the unique challenges we faced, but I was equally inspired by the possibilities ahead. Over the past year, as I connected with our staff, met with homeowners, donors and volunteers, onboarded new leadership and worked alongside the entire team, we reflected deeply on our history and envisioned a bold new future. Guided by our mission to build strength, stability, and self-reliance through homeownership, we began laying the foundation for our next chapter.

Today, I’m proud to introduce Building Forward: A Five-Year Vision for Growth and Impact, our new strategic plan that will shape our work and amplify our impact for years to come. This plan positions us for thoughtful, accelerated growth, while deepening our commitment to the communities we serve.

At Dallas Habitat, we envision a Dallas where every neighborhood instills pride and where every resident can take pride in their neighborhood. This bold new vision will move us closer to making that belief a shared reality.

Yours in partnership,

Building Forward is the result of a thoughtful, collaborative process. Over the past year, Dallas Habitat engaged key stakeholders to better understand the organization. We conducted key assessments in fundraising, human resources and a financial and organizational audit. We held staff interviews with the CEO to gather internal insights and conducted stakeholder surveys to understand where we stand and what opportunities lie ahead.

Throughout this process, we anchored our work in guiding principles that emphasize fostering collaboration, driving impactful actions, enhancing organizational culture, strengthening operations, ensuring accountability, and leveraging technology for positive outcomes.

The planning process surfaced key opportunities to refine our approach, expand our reach, and deepen our impact. We’ve woven these insights into a bold, multifaceted plan designed to elevate our organization and transform outcomes for the families and communities we serve.