Partnership Spotlight: Hartford Area Habitat For Humanity
Partnerships and collaborations are a valued and important part of the work we do at CTData because any professional or organization, no matter the sector or industry, can benefit from using data to tell a story. Recently, we were thrilled to work with the Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity for their Reflective Report on the Impact of Homeownership, with generous funding from the Travelers Foundation.
Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity is part of a global, nonprofit housing organization dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally through constructing, rehabilitating, and preserving homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. Habitat for Humanity was founded on the conviction that every man, woman, and child should have a simple, durable place to live in dignity and safety, and that decent shelter in decent communities should be a matter of conscience and action for all. - Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity
The organization has built 280 homes across 11 towns since 2011. This includes new construction, rehabilitation, and the reselling of 13 properties to new families (recycles). To date, most properties (206) have been in the City of Hartford. The report summarizes data from the 2008 and 2018 Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity homeowner surveys, which included topics like satisfaction, income, education, stability, and civic engagement. When available, comparisons were made over time and public data was used to add historical and community context.
"Our goal at CTData is to shine a light through data on the great work that is happening in our region,” said Michelle Riordan-Nold, Executive Director of the Connecticut Data Collaborative. “This project was a perfect example—we turned data in paper format into analyzable data and for the first time enabled the organization to tell their data story.”
Below are a few of the key findings:
Education: More than 1 in 3 homeowners continued their education.
Income: 72% of homeowners reported having money left over at the end of the month.
Property Values: Habitat properties added over $500,000 in revenue to the City of Hartford in 2018.
Homeownership: Over 8 in 10 respondents said they now have a better understanding of homeownership topics.
When working with partners, we understand that each organization has unique data stories and opportunities to grow. Through services like our Data Strategic Planning, we collaborate with a range of organizations from nonprofits to state agencies to both work with the data they have and improve their future data practices. Even if an organization’s surveys are in paper format, we can assist with entering them into a database for future data analysis. To learn more about how you can partner with CTData, head to our website.
CTData would like to extend our gratitude to the Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity and the Travelers Foundation for their partnership, expertise, and support to advance these critical issues. You can find the report here and explore more projects on our website. To stay updated on our projects and partnerships, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.