Habitat for Humanity of Greater Jonesboro

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Jonesboro envisions a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

The organization, led since 2014 by Executive Director Micheal Sullivan, works toward that goal through three main programs: new construction, through which families in need can apply for a no-interest mortgage to build a new home; repair, through which the organization will provide critical repairs to existing homes; and ReStore, a home improvement store and donation center that sells gently used furniture, appliances, home accessories, building materials and more.

The new construction program is the best known. Sullivan said the organization aims to build two to three houses per year with the help of volunteers — from local churches, businesses and civic groups, as well as Arkansas State University, for example — and the family who will live there. “We’re a hand up, not a hand out,” he said. “We want our families to be involved.”

A typical house takes a year to build. But Habitat, a national nonprofit, goes beyond construction to help families plan and pay for their homes, offering counseling to help them prepare for homeownership. That can be training on everything from home upkeep to home economics — paying the bills and saving for repairs.

Habitat’s Jonesboro organization is one of 12 in Arkansas. Before Sullivan took over, it was an all-volunteer staff. But since then, it’s added a director of operations, a ReStore manager and a part-time construction manager.

Habitat spent much of 2022 wrapping up 10 homes, among them eight homes on Phillip Evans Parkway, a nine-home neighborhood off State Street that includes a small park. That project was funded through federal grants Habitat obtained through the Arkansas Development Finance Authority. The money has funded 12 new Habitat homes over the past four years.

Sullivan said the organization is now looking to expand beyond greater Jonesboro, seeking to meet the constant demand for affordable housing in other nearby cities. It continues efforts to diversify its donor base — and get the word out to prospective applicants about the opportunity to become homeowners.