DENVER (KDVR) — Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver will receive $13.5 million of a $436 million gift MacKenzie Scott made to Habitat for Humanity.
The donation is the largest in Habitat for Humanity history. The organization has historically connected low- and middle-income families with housing opportunities when housing costs are unreachable. In Colorado, a Habitat for Humanity mortgage costs roughly one-third the market rate for a single-family home.
“This is the largest single donation in our history and will have a momentum-building impact on our work,” said Heather Lafferty, CEO of Habitat Metro Denver. “It is a vote of confidence in the collective work of many people – homeowners, staff, board, donors, volunteers and community partners. This gift will allow us to dream even bigger about accelerating our production, serve as a catalyst for equity and systems change, and ultimately, create more homeownership opportunities in our community.”
The gift will potentially create much-needed opportunity. There are fewer homes for sale in the Denver metro area than there have ever been, according to data released this month from the Colorado Association of Realtors. In the seven-county Denver metro area, there were 1,486 single-family homes for sale.