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Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County NJ

Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County NJ

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Barbara Dunn: 26 Years With Paterson Habitat for Humanity–It’s More Than Houses

January 30, 2020

Barbara Dunn, recently retired CEO of Paterson Habitat For Humanity

On January 19, Barbara Dunn reflected on her 26 years as CE0 of Paterson Habitat For Humanity. Barbara recently retired from that role and during her tenure had a real impact on the lives of hundreds of Paterson residents.  

Founded in 1984, Paterson Habitat has helped more than 300 families obtain housing.   Barbara called herself a “child of the ‘60s”, a period when optimism ruled and she was motivated to try to help change the world for the better.  She spent many years at Planned Parenthood first and then became Executive Director of Paterson Habitat in 1993.  

Habitat For Humanity itself was founded explicitly on the basis of Christian principals by Millard and Linda Fuller who had developed the concept of “partnership housing” with their friend, Clarence Jordan, a farmer and biblical scholar.  The concept referred to the idea that needy families would work alongside volunteers to build adequate housing.

Currently, Paterson Habitat spends about $250,000 on each home but sells it to families for only about $150,000 – and they sell it to the families by giving them a 0% mortgage, financed by Habitat!  During the housing crisis, homes in Paterson were not immune to the national troubles and for the first time Habitat had about 40 families who were underwater on their mortgages. Instead of pulling out, Paterson Habitat made the moral decision to “double down” and wrote off over 2 million dollars of their portfolio.  Every family got a roughly $50,000 reduction in their mortgage.

Paterson Habitat is one of some 19 New Jersey branches of Habitat.  You can read about all the NJ Habitats here

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Recent Posts

  • Society Gets Grant to Explore Concept of ‘Sacred Spaces’ January 31, 2023
  • Church-State Separation: Who Stands to Lose if the Wall Fails? January 30, 2023
  • Two Grants Help Fund ‘Great NJ Science Show’ January 29, 2023
  • Meet Our Newest Members, Andy and Deborah Krikun January 29, 2023
  • Struggle over Church-State Separation has Deep Roots in America January 28, 2023

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There's always time for play: celebrations, discussions (some in Spanish -- find Conversemos on our calendar on the fourth Tuesday of the month), hikes, picnics, cultural outings, and more. Come join us!
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Diane running the show

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