Habitat Young Professionals: Helping to build a better Austin
By Katie Warner
The Austin Times Staff
According to a recent poll by the Wall Street Journal, Austin was ranked as the fifth hottest, hippest destination for highly mobile, educated workers in their 20s. One of the factors why Austin was chosen by many young professionals was the abundance of nonprofits in the city, and the influence it has had. According to Greenlights for NonProfit Success, Austin has more nonprofits per capita than any other city in the southwestern U.S. Over the next series of issues, The Austin Times would like to highlight some of the young professional organizations and nonprofits in the Austin area, what they do, and the ways that you can get involved.
Over 60,000 hardworking Austin families live in substandard, overcrowded, and cost-burdensome housing. Through faith in action, Austin Habitat for Humanity builds homes in partnership with families and engages our community to end the cycle of poverty housing through the power of home ownership. Within the Austin Habitat for Humanity Chapter is Habitat Young Professionals, or HYP, a group of young professionals who help support the mission of Habitat for Humanity by volunteering, fundraising, and advocating for affordable housing in Austin.
Founded in 2006, HYP has grown to approximately 200 members and has quickly become a highly respected and connected organization in Austin. The group hosts regular social hours and fundraisers, and offers many
opportunities to volunteer. HYP has made a big impact on the efforts of Habitat for Humanity, raising more than $60,000 last year alone, and has sparked the formation of other HYP groups around the country. HYP asks its members to contribute financially through the $20 per month dues that go directly to Habitat and to contribute their time by volunteering for a minimum of two build days a year. Members are also required to participate in a Habitour, which is s a one hour tour of Austin neighborhoods in which Austin Habitat has had a significant impact. The tour visits recent and current Habitat home build sites and provides information about the organization’s history and future.
In addition to monthly build dates and social events, HYP hosts the Build the HYP Gala each year to help raise money to build a house. This year’s gala will be on Friday, May 21 at Mercury Hall. Habitours are available the third Saturday of each month by reservation and last one hour. The tour is free and open to the public. Please call Michael Kellerman at 472-8788 x408 for more information and to reserve your seat. For more information about HYP events and on becoming a member, visit the HYP website at www.austinhyp.org or look for them on Facebook.
1 Response for “Habitat Young Professionals: Helping to build a better Austin”
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Thanks for the article. It’sreally time consuming finding good business advice for young professionals online. This was a great read.