Housing Heroes

The Sonoma County Housing Coalition will presents the Housing Hero Award to the person, people or organization that has made a significant contribution to providing affordable housing in Sonoma County each year. It could be a person who has worked for years to make a difference in this field or who has given large, continuing contributions, or people within an entity who have worked to make a significant policy change that has affected the community’s ability to create affordable housing, or an organization or developer who has helped provide affordable housing in a creative or significant way during the past year.

2011 Housing Hero

Jack Blankenship has been involved with Habitat For Housing  Sonoma County since the year 2000.  He has been involved with the construction of Habitat homes, mentoring HFHSoCo families, and founded the HFHSoCo ReStore out of his garage in 2003 to use the proceeds to purchase building materials for the Habitat homes.  Jack does a monthly “Habitalk” for people interested in learning more about the mission of Habitat for Humanity.  He tells stories of the families that have contributed their sweat equity, moved into their new homes, and are raising children that become successful students and young adults. He is a strong advocate for giving a hand up, not a hand out to families willing to put in their own sweat equity to have a home.  He firmly believes that modest, decent affordable housing for families makes our communities better for all.

Jack has donated time, money, sandwiches, knowledge, love, sweat and tears of happiness to see families in need of homes move into a Habitat home.  He is an inspiration to other volunteers, to ReStore visitors, and to the staff.  He personifies the “Mr. Habitat” title that his friends and co-volunteers have dubbed him. He is unselfish in his devotion to the Habitat mission of building homes in partnership with families in need. He has had his entire wardrobe of shirts monogrammed with the HFHSoCo logo, so when he goes out into the world he becomes a walking billboard and people stop to ask about Habitat for Humanity.  He is proud of his role as an ambassador for the organization and literally wears it on his heart.

Jack will be honored at the May 9, 2011 Sonoma County Affordable Housing Week breakfast at the Flamingo Hotel, Santa Rosa from7:30 to 10:30.

Past Housing Heroes:

2010: Margo Warnecke Merck
2009: Craig Meltzner
2008: City of Petaluma
2007: Sydney and Herschel Berry, Housing Advocates for the Disabled
2006: Ray Ambrosio, Christopherson Homes
2005: Stephen F. Burke, Executive Director, City of Santa Rosa Redevelopment Agency
2004: Burbank Housing Development Corp.