Supporting Affordable Homeownership in Charlottesville
Renewal by Andersen of Central Virginia partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville to donate and install eleven replacement windows for a Habitat home in Charlottesville, helping prepare the home for its next homeowner while supporting affordable homeownership in Central Virginia.
Located on Paton Street in Charlottesville, the home was originally built in 2006 as part of Habitat’s “Builder Blitz” — a national initiative that invited professional and corporate builders to construct a home from start to finish in a single week. Six homes went up on Paton Street that week, becoming the anchor for a larger mixed-income neighborhood that has since grown to more than 30 homes.
When the original owners moved out, Habitat for Humanity repurchased the home and began renovations to prepare it for a new family — this time, Victoria, a lifelong Charlottesville resident and mother of two. According to Kelly Eplee, Director of Donor Relations at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville, the vast majority of Habitat homeowners succeed and stay in their homes long-term; situations requiring a full rehab like this one are uncommon, affecting less than 1% of the organization’s homeowners.
Who Is Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville?
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville works alongside families, volunteers, donors, and community partners to expand access to affordable homeownership and strengthen neighborhoods throughout Charlottesville, Albemarle, Greene, Louisa, and Fluvanna counties. Today, the organization is recognized as one of the most productive Habitat affiliates serving a community of its size in the United States and Canada, having built more than 350 homes locally and helping families each year through affordable homeownership, home repairs, and housing stability programs.
As housing affordability continues to challenge many Virginia families, partnerships between local nonprofits and businesses like Renewal by Andersen help create more opportunities for affordable homeownership in the City of Charlottesville and surrounding Albemarle County.
The Paton Street Project
Renewal by Andersen became involved in the Paton Street Project after connecting with Kelly Eplee, Director of Donor Relations at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville. After visiting the home, the operations team quickly recognized an opportunity to make a significant impact.
Eplee praised Renewal by Andersen’s involvement, saying, “We needed to rehabilitate the home, and you made it affordable. Additionally, the new homeowner will benefit from lower power bills because of those windows.”
The window replacement was one of the final steps necessary to prepare the Paton Street property for its new owner. Eplee explained just how significant that difference can be: energy-inefficient windows and insulation in older or lower-quality housing can push a family’s power bill to $400–500 a month, while a comparable Habitat home with new, energy-efficient windows typically runs closer to $80 a month. For a family earning around $50,000 a year, that gap can be the difference between financial strain and financial stability.
Windows also change how a home feels the moment someone walks in. “There’s always the ‘pop’ factor when you walk into a Habitat home that’s got that kind of windows in it,” Eplee said. “You go, ‘Oh my goodness, is this affordable housing? I would live in this.'” Beyond the visual impact, the new replacement windows will also improve comfort, energy efficiency, and long-term durability for the future homeowner, the kind of quality that helps keep monthly costs predictable for years to come, not just at move-in.
Hawkins, who has worked at UVA’s Contact Center for nearly 20 years, was drawn to the home’s location. “The location really spoke to me because I don’t drive. I work for UVA going on 20 years in June! It’s convenient and close for me to walk,” she said in Greater Charlottesville Habitat for Humanity’s 2023 Impact Report.
Building Stronger Communities Through Affordable Housing
The Paton Street home reflects Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville’s long-standing commitment to creating mixed-income communities, where families from different backgrounds can live, work, and thrive together. Support from volunteers and donations from local businesses allow the nonprofit to continue this work across Central Virginia.
Daniel Beau, Renewal by Andersen of Central Virginia’s Installation Manager, was part of the initial site visit and conducted the technical measure for the windows. Reflecting on the project, he said, “It was an honor to work with Habitat and contribute to those in need in our community.”
Why Community Partnerships Matter
Projects like the one on Paton Street don’t happen without a network of local businesses, nonprofits, and volunteers working toward the same goal. For Renewal by Andersen of Central Virginia, that means contributing our trade directly, donating and installing replacement windows and replacement doors, rather than simply writing a check. For Habitat, it means being able to stretch every dollar of rehabilitation funding further, so more Charlottesville families can move into safe, energy-efficient, affordable homes.
Eplee sums up the philosophy behind Habitat’s work simply: most families “just need a hand up, they don’t need a hand out… they don’t need saviors,” they need partners. That’s the role Renewal by Andersen aims to play, not as a one-time donor, but as an ongoing partner in the community’s efforts to expand affordable homeownership.
This kind of partnership is one piece of a much larger effort. Affordable housing challenges in Charlottesville and across Virginia aren’t solved by any single donation or project, they require ongoing collaboration between nonprofits, contractors, volunteers, and the community members who show up for each build. The Paton Street home is one example of what that collaboration can produce, and it’s part of an ongoing effort, not a one-time story.
Our Commitment Going Forward
Renewal by Andersen is proud to partner with organizations like Habitat for Humanity that are creating stronger neighborhoods and expanding access to affordable homeownership. By donating replacement windows and supporting community projects throughout Central Virginia, we’re helping build homes that families can enjoy for years to come.
If you’re a local nonprofit working on affordable housing in Central Virginia, or you’d like to learn more about our community giving, visit our Renewal Cares page to see how we support neighbors throughout the region.
