ALPENA — Wells Fargo Foundation has awarded Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan the first of three $15,000 grants to support the construction of a new home on Merchant Street in Alpena. The funding is part of an $8.1 million donation to Habitat for Humanity International for capacity building and direct mission support to build, renovate and repair more than 350 affordable homes across the U.S.

The grant is provided through Wells Fargo Builds and is part of the Wells Fargo Foundation’s $1 billion philanthropic commitment to create more affordable housing solutions by 2025. “We’ve had a rich history of working with Habitat for Humanity to strengthen our neighborhoods through philanthropy and volunteerism,” said Marybeth Howe, commercial banking executiveat Wells Fargo. “Safe and stable housing enables people to build upon the rest of their life and, together, we can shift the narrative to help others understand that housing affordability is both an economic and humanitarian crisis that’s taking a toll on millions of people.”

Wells Fargo Builds provides philanthropic financial assistance from the Wells Fargo Foundation to support the construction, renovation, painting or repairing of homes with low-to-moderate income households. In 2019 alone, Wells Fargo employees volunteered more than 1.9 million hours of service to strengthen their communities, including building, repairing, and improving 674 homes across the U.S. with several organizations through Wells Fargo Builds.

“These Wells Fargo Build grants will help us to fulfill our mission of seeing a world where everyone in Northeast Michigan has a decent place to live,” said Ted Fines, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan.

The grant will support the new construction of a modular home in Alpena for a single mother and her children who are presently living in substandard conditions. By partnering with Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan, it offers this family hope and an opportunity to fulfill a dream of home ownership.

Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan is part of a global, nonprofit housing organization operated on Christian principles that seeks to put God’s love into action by building homes, communities and hope. Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally and worldwide 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.