About Volunteering for Construction

Crew Leaders Durham Habitat is now seeking Crew Leaders for the spring and summer of 2008. Crew Leaders are volunteers who are skilled in one of more areas of construction (for example: framing, roofing, siding, sheetrock). These volunteers commit to helping supervise other volunteers in these tasks, for at least one Saturday a month. We are building many new homes right now and our staff are stretched thin -- Crew Leaders are a crucial part of what helps Habitat work! Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator if interested!

Who Volunteers on Durham Habitat houses?

Community organizations, such as churches and civic groups, sponsor the construction of Habitat houses. That is, they pay for many of the construction materials that are used to build the houses.

When an organization sponsors a house, its members get first dibs on volunteering to build that house. Once we find out how much or how little a sponsoring organization plans to do of the construction work on a house, we then try to schedule other people from elsewhere, to round out the volunteer schedule.  We sometimes have little notice about exactly when we will need construction volunteers.

We welcome group volunteers when we are able to accomodate them. Normally each house can use 5-12 volunteers each shift for a total of about 10-24 volunteers per house per day. In Summer 2007 we can accomodate Saturday groups at 3 houses in Hope Crossing, our new "green" community on Junction Rd. We are sometimes able to come up with projects for larger groups, so please don't hesitate to contact us with your volunteer inquiry!

Youth Policy

HFHD has recently updated our Youth Policy. To view the complete version, click here.

Construction volunteers must be at least 18 years old to use power tools or to climb ladders above 6ft. They must be at least 16 years old to perform all other tasks, except landscaping, cleaning or painting. They must be at least 14 years old to perform landscaping , painting, or cleaning. 14 and 15 yr olds may only enter the site when there is no construction activity going on and with a 1:4 adult/child ratio. Please note that children under 14 are not allowed on the construction site, for legal reasons! For volunteer ideas for children under 14, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator.    

Click HERE to download the Volunteer Waiver. Children under 18 must have a parent's signature on this waiver before volunteering with Habitat. Waivers are always available on the construction site as well.

If You Would Like to Volunteer Alone (Rather Than As Part of a Group)

If you would like to volunteer alone, please contact Patt Hatcher, Volunteer Coordinator at 682-0516, extension 101, or e-mail . She will be glad to add your name to the list of construction volunteers.  

When you contact Patt, tell her the answers to the questions that are listed below.

NOTE: If you’d like to email your answers, you might copy and paste the questions into the body of a new email message, then answer them, and then email the entire message to Patt.

1. When would you like to work, ideally (for example, sometime in February, by the end of April, any time at all, etc.)?

2. Would you prefer construction or non-construction volunteering? (Please see Volunteer section for non-construction volunteer opportunities).

3. What times of the week are you available (for example, on a Saturday morning)?

(We have a morning shift that runs from 8 am to noon, and an afternoon shift that runs from 1 pm to 4:30 pm. Most of our work is scheduled for Saturdays. Occasionally we have morning/afternoon shifts on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.)

Once Patt has the above information, she will add your name to the list, and then she will let you know whenever she might be able to schedule you to work.
If Your Group Would Like to Volunteer
We do our best to accomodate all groups who would like to volunteer with us. Please be flexible and patient with us, as there will be many changes in the amount of volunteer work available from month to month. In Summer 2007, we expect to need group volunteers on Saturday afternoons for 1011 Worth St, in our Hope IV historical rehab project of nine homes off Alston Ave. In May, we're scheduled to begin our Hope Crossing project, 32 new homes on Junction Rd off Hwy 98. We will need lots of group volunteers for this project June-December 2007, because we need to finish nine homes by Christmas. We'll also be building a few duplexes in the West End neighborhood on Carroll St. So, 2007 will be a busy year and we anticipate a need for lots of group volunteers!

If you would like to inquire about a group volunteer opportunity, please contact Patt Hatcher, Volunteer Coordinator at 682-0516, extension 101, or e-mail . Tell Patt the answers to the questions that are listed below.

NOTE: If you’d like to email your answers, you might copy and paste the questions into the body of a new email message, then answer them, and then email the entire message to Patt.
 
1. When do you have in mind to work, ideally (for example, sometime in February, by the end of April, any time at all, etc.)?

2. How many people do you have in mind (at least and at most)?

3. What times of the week is your group available (for example, on a Saturday morning)?

(We have a morning shift that runs from 8 am to noon, and an afternoon shift that runs from 1 pm to 4:30 pm. Most of our work is scheduled for Saturdays. Occasionally we have morning/afternoon shifts on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.)

4. How much advance notice does your group need ( 2 weeks, a month, etc.)?

Once Patt has the above information, she will contact you to discuss your group's volunteer inquiry.

Would You Like to Become a Geezer?

Are you ever free to volunteer on construction on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday mornings?

Are you an "older" volunteer?

And are you relatively experienced/skilled in construction?

If your answer is "yes" to all of the above questions, then you might want to join our Geezers.

The Geezers (as they call themselves) are a group of "older," mostly retired, relatively experienced/skilled volunteers. (Some Geezers are in the 40's, some are in their 70's, and some are somewhere in between.) The Geezers work from 8 am to noon on Wednesday, Thursday, and/or Friday of each week.

Every Tuesday, one of the Geezers sends out an email, telling the rest of the group about the work that is available for the rest of the week. Depending on which day(s) of the week each Geezer chooses to volunteer, he or she then plans accordingly and shows up on site.

For those Geezers who do not have email, another person notifies them by telephone.

If you would like to join the Geezers, please contact Patt Hatcher, Volunteer Coordinator at 682-0516, extension 101, or e-mail . Patt will forward your contact information to the appropriate Geezer contact person.

How About Something Other Than Construction?

If you would like to consider volunteering in some area other than construction, click here for further information.

***Directions to Durham Habitat's Current Construction Sites:***

To Hope VI Historical Rehab Houses:
From Chapel Hill or Durham, take Hwy 15 501 to exit 108B. This is the exit for Hwy 147 (Durham Freeway). Take Hwy 147 to exit 11 for Alston Ave. Turn left onto Alston Ave and proceed about half a mile. You'll see a small, unmarked one-way street to the left, just after Los Primos Grocery Store. This is Worth St. Take a left onto Worth St and after one block you'll see our storage trailer at 1103 Worth St. We meet here and then disperse to various sites. Some of the rehabs will be on Worth St and some on Franklin, on both sides of the street.  If you have any trouble finding the houses, please call the Construction Supervisor Angie Jones, 919 730 2845.

To "Hope Crossing" subdivision on Junction Rd.
From Downtown Durham: Take Roxboro St. north past 147/Durham Freeway. Pass the downtown library. Turn right on Holloway St. Continue through East Durham on Holloway. Stay in the left lane to cross Miami Blvd. Cross under Hwy. 70. Turn left at the second light on Junction Rd. (just past the RR tracks) Go approximately one mile to Dodson St. Turn right on Dodson. The construction entrance to Hope Crossing is on the left at the end of Dodson St.
 
From Cary/Raleigh via Durham Freeway-
Take I-40 W to the Hwy. 147 exit (after Davis Dr. and before Hwy. 55) Take 147/Durham Freeway to exit 12B. Turn right on Roxboro St. Pass the downtown library. Turn right on Holloway St. Continue through East Durham on Holloway.  Stay in the left lane to cross Miami Blvd. Cross under Hwy. 70. Turn left at the second light on Junction Rd. (just past the RR tracks) Go approximately one mile to Dodson St. Turn right on Dodson. The construction entrance to Hope Crossing is on the left at the end of Dodson St.

To Habitat Office (215 N. Church St):Take Hwy 15 501 to exit 108B. This is the exit for Hwy 147 (Durham Freeway). Take Hwy 147 to exit 12 for downtown. Turn left onto Roxboro Rd. Turn left at 2nd light onto Main St. Go one block past courthouse. Turn Right onto N. Church St. Turn left in front of the church to go into the parking lot. Park by the big brick wall with chewing gum murals on it. Place a paper saying "Habitat" in your windshield. We are in the educational wing across from the sanctuary. Ring the bell and someone will let you in. We're on the 3rd floor.