“We have a housing crisis here in Pinellas County,” said Pinellas County Commissioner Dave Eggers. “To have this chance to work with different cities, and the county, along with Habitat, we can help people realize that American Dream of homeownership. And the great thing about Habitat is the people in program are ready to work for their dreams.”

Over the last 12 months, Habitat Pinellas and West Pasco completed more new homes than any other affiliate in the country – earning a ranking of #1 producing affiliate in the network. This March, the affiliate will celebrate its 800th Home Milestone. On Friday, elected officials met the homeowner, Brianna Clayton and support her journey towards affordable homeownership by putting in sweat equity on her home.

“I’m so grateful to all of these elected officials for taking time out of their busy schedules to be here,” said Habitat Homeowner Candidate Brianna Clayton, who will be the 800th Homeowner in affiliate history. “So many of them stopped to talk and learn about me, and my daughter. It was amazing.”

“Thanks to the hard work of our elected officials today, Brianna is one step closer to achieving the American Dream of homeownership! Their partnership allows us to continue serving more families and strongly advocate for affordable homeownership opportunities for all, ” said Mike Sutton, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties.

Elected officials in attendance included:

“This is not a one day solution for this one family,” said Pinellas County Commissioner Charlie Justice. “It’s about transferring that generational wealth to the next generation. That’s really helpful not just for one family, but for the long-term health of our community.”

“Many of us up in the Florida Legislature believes every Floridians deserves the opportunity to be health, prosperous and safe,” said State Representative Lindsay Cross. “Habitat for Humanity hits on all of these things – building wealth, having a safe place to live and creating a healthy environment for families.”

Advocacy is a key pillar for Habitat for Humanity. Habitat Pinellas and West Pasco is making a further commitment and investment advocating for the advancement of affordable homeownership in our community. Through advocacy, Habitat seeks to influence policy and promote affordability among the broader housing continuum. To learn more, visit https://habitatpwp.org/advocate/.