Local Habitat for Humanity Reps Visit Capitol Hill; Advocate for Redevelopment, Veterans

Representatives with Southwest Riverside-based Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley were back in Washington D.C. in February, where they joined forces with 100 affiliates from across the nation.

Tammy Marine, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley, and Craig Evans, vice president of the board of directors, advocated for community redevelopment funds and Veterans' rights to participate in Habitat programs, among other issues.

As a whole, the Habitat affiliates sat in on 150 congressional meetings.

The meetings were arranged to promote the need for affordable housing and to discuss key legislative issues that affect affiliates on a local and international basis, said Kristi Reedy, a public relations representative for Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley, in a news release.

Specifically, Marine and Evans spoke with the offices of Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and U.S. Rep Brian Bilbray, R-Calif., to discuss topics such as:

• Obstacles interfering with international efforts in grief-stricken countries like Haiti;
• Potential elimination of services such as AmeriCorps, SHOP and Capacity Building funds; and
• Possible changes that could take place to guidelines for American Veterans to enable them to participate in Habitat programs.

"All four legislators were supportive of the proposed ideas that Marine and Evans offered on each topic," Reedy said. "Like previous trips, Marine and Evans may not see the fruits of their labor for some time.

"There are ongoing international efforts to relieve the obstacles of infrastructure, transporting supplies and volunteers into Haiti. A vote for the elimination of services such as AmeriCorps is on the books for later this month."

Reedy said that with a few small changes to the existing bill, Marine and Evans hope American Veterans will qualify for affordable housing options like that of Habitat for Humanity.

On the state level, Habitat for Humanity continues to advocate on issues that impact local communities directly, such as trying to stop the elimination of redevelopment agencies across of the state, Reedy said.

“I am proud of our advocacy position as a local affiliate," Marine said in a statement following her return from Capitol Hill.

"Habitat for Humanity International continues to lead the helm on these important issues while rallying representation from across the national in a fight to better serve families in need of a decent, safe place to call home.”

The trip was a follow-up to one taken a year ago by Marine and Evans, in which they secured funds for 10 homes for the Neighborhood Stabilization Project. The program allowed the nonprofit to purchase, rehabilitate and sell homes to qualifying families in Southwest Riverside. Six of those 10 homes were in Murrieta, three were in Temecula and one in Perris.