PORT TOWNSEND — The high demand for affordable housing has prompted Habitat for Humanity East Jefferson County to add two more staff members.
Robert Collins as construction manager and Heidi Gali as bookkeeper will help keep the organization building homes at its current pace, according to a press release.
“Bob and Heidi are key to our success as an organization,” said Jamie Maciejewski, executive director for Habitat for Humanity of East Jefferson County (Habitat EJC).
“Our community is asking us to build more homes than ever at an unprecedented rate,” she said. “The need for affordable housing in East Jefferson County is undeniable: consistently more people apply for Habitat’s program than we can accommodate.
“We want to change that.
“We need more housing, so we are bringing on talent that will help us identify, navigate and even change systems so we become more efficient without sacrificing the integrity of building decent, affordable housing,” Maciejewski said in the release.
In the last fiscal year, which ended June 30, Habitat EJC built five homes. This fiscal year, it plans 11 homes, more than double the previous year, the agency said.
“We plan to hold steady at 10 to 12 homes a year for the next couple of years,” Maciejewski said Thursday.
“That will allow our volunteer base to grow and catch up with all those houses we are building. It will also allow us to build up the number of house sponsors and other donors, because building that many houses is very expensive.
“We are doing this in preparation to build out the 17-acre parcel of land in Port Hadlock, the old airstrip, that we acquired a few months ago.”
The agency is developing an eventual 20-house affordable housing project on Landes Street between 15th and 18th streets in Port Townsend and, in partnership with the Jefferson Community Foundation and the county government, a project of permanently affordable housing in Port Hadlock on a 17-acre parcel of land.
The latter property has the potential to be developed with more than 120 homes.
“Habitat envisions building about one-third of those homes, so we’re talking about the development of 40 or so homes. The rest would be built by other interested organizations,” Maciejewski said.
“Initial excavation could start in as soon as three years, so we are getting ready for this momentous project by making sure that we have the skills on staff to prepare for what’s ahead.”
Collins and Gali embody Habitat’s core values of partnership, service and respect, according to the release.
“Just as importantly, they each bring strengths to their roles that increase the organization’s ability to address the acute need for affordable housing in its service area,” the release said.
Collins comes to Habitat with more than 20 years of corporate experience in program, financial, supply chain and operational management.
His diverse career includes leadership roles at Microsoft Corp., Amazon and JPMorgan Chase. He brings expertise in program improvements, cost-savings, safety and health enhancements, as well as team management, to his current role as construction manager, the release said.
Collins will be focused on managing all aspects of Habitat’s construction by leading the team, analyzing current operations and making changes to shorten construction times, applying new construction techniques and identifying cost savings that still maintain high quality, the release said.
“I’m energized to be part of the Habitat team and help figure out how we can build more affordable housing at a faster and more efficient rate,” he said.
Gali, a Port Townsend native, joins Habitat with more than 15 years of accounting and bookkeeping experience, most recently having worked for Gooding O’Hara and Mackey, PS.
Her background includes helping nonprofit clients stay abreast of changing tax laws. In her new role, she manages Habitat’s accounts receivable and payable, and supports the finance director with payroll and benefits administration.
“Coming from Port Townsend, I understand the challenges families face in finding affordable housing,” Gali said. “Due to the lack of housing, it is difficult to stay in the area, even if you grew up here, so I’m excited to help tackle those challenges with Habitat.”
Said Maciejewski: “Our volunteers continue to be a critical part of this, too. Nothing would be possible without volunteers, as well as financial contributors, business partners and the support from our community at large.”
Habitat EJC built its first home in 1999 and has since completed nearly 100 home builds, renovations and repairs. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage.
For more information, see habitatejc.org.
Heidi Gali.
