The Construction committee is a staff advisory committee responsible for review of the construction planning.  The committee recommends policy to the board, recommends contacts in the professional community and provides organization to the construction process.  Committee work will include but is not limited to: House plan review, material and procedural recommendations, safety policies/ standards, review of written house descriptions, contract reviews, budget recommendation reviews, and cost analysis and equipment purchase recommendations.
 

(Church Relations is a subcommittee of the Development Committee)  The Church relations committee is responsible for strengthening the support of the affiliate's work by gaining volunteers, prayer, and financial resources from all ocmmunity churches.  The committee will work in partnership with churches by extending the opportunity for members to engage in ministry by becoming involved with Habitat for Humanity.  Committee work will include but is not limited to: develop or find a roster of churches in the geographic service area; determine which churches are already supporting the work of the affiliate; develop a list of which churches to partner with; organize presentation materials and work teams to approach the churches; maintain records of contacts made and information given out; follow- up with contacts through the "closing of the deal"; craft partnership agreements when appropriate; secure a minimum number of houses per year that are fully adopted by a single church; secure a minimum of houses per year that are adopted by a group of churches; ensure that gratitude and recognition are extended to participating churches; provide a monthly report to the board of directors; coordinate the Day of Prayer and Action activites; work with the board of directors and other committees to implement Building on Faith week activites; and assist churches in ordering the Church Relations Newsletter and other materials.
 

The Family Selection Committee works to carry out the Board's vision by defining the population in need of decent, affordable housing, and by developing processes and policies for selecting those in greatest need in the Lafayette community.  Committee work will include but not be limited to:  developing outreach and marketing materials; distributing applications and outreach materials throughout the community; reviewing applications; notifying ineligible applicants; conducting home visits; assuring that all potential families understand the application process, selection process and the three selection criteria; assuring the selection process follows the law and uses objective, legal and non-discriminatory selection criteria; collecting and reviewing other supporting documents (i.e. credit reporting); communicating in a timely fashion with families regarding the status of their application; providing information regarding other local housing resources and programs  or other relevant  training programs to families; providing feedback to the Board regarding effectiveness of current policies and procedures; and adequately training new committee members and home visitors.
 

The Family Support Committee seeks to welcome new families into the Habitat family and to provide them with a mutual support system, educational opportunities and a forum for discussions regarding homeownership and relevant Habitat policies and procedures.  The committee is the primary liaison between the affiliate and the homeowner families and enables the affiliate to learn more from Habitat homeowners and thus constantly improve its program. Committee work will include but not be limited to: supporting families as a friend and information resource; providing homeowner training sessions; training family sponsor/advocate/friends; developing tools and materials for supporting families, which may include a homeowner manual and tracking sheet; providing feedback to the Board regarding the effectiveness of current policies and procedures and an update of sweat equity hours; assuring that families understand and complete required sweat equity hours; assisting families throughout the entire process of becoming homeowners (answering questions, helping with planning and budgeting, recording sweat equity hours, identifying other community resources, follow-up explanations of training workshop materials, providing home maintenance tips, etc.); maintaining an environment of strict confidentiality.
 

he Development Committee works in partnership with the Board of Directors to ensure that the fiscal needs of the affiliate are met and to share the opportunity throughout our service areas to participate in the ministry with cash and in-kind gifts.  Committee work will include but not be limited to:  taking the Board's annual approved budget and shaping a comprehensive fund development plan that includes target sources and amounts, dates and assignments; working with the Treasurer to ensure that processes are in place for donor recognition, IRS substantiation and categorized record keeping by source of income and donor; requesting an annual budget from the board of directors for necessary expenses; setting up appropriate sub-committee or work groups to handle efforts with churches, individuals, businesses, financial institutions, fraternal organizations, civic groups, foundations, etc.; maintaining records of where contacts have been made to avoid duplication of effort; and seeking a list of in-kind donations desired by the building committee and develop strategies to meet those needs.
 

The Finance Committee is charged with the responsibility of overseeing the affiliate’s financial and administrative activities. The committee assumes the responsibility for the audit and budget functions. The committee has the primary responsibility for implementing and reviewing policies which foster good stewardship. The committee must also ensure that there are adequate financial resources available and that there is no deficit spending for the programs of the affiliate.  The committee should review what staff members and/or volunteers are responsible for handling and accounting for the funds of the affiliate. The committee must develop the scope of the annual audit of the affiliate’s financial books and must work closely with the affiliate’s independent certified public accountant as they prepare the affiliate’s financial statements.  Committee work will include but not be limited to:  developing, overseeing, and reviewing the affiliate’s budget; reviewing and coordinating each facet of the budget, making recommendations to the board for its approval; and understanding the long-range plan and strategy for growth that the affiliate has established.
 

(PR is a subcommittee of the Development Committee) The Public Relations Subcommittee is responsible, under the direction of the Development Committee, for sharing Habitat's mission with the people living in our service area and all volunteers.  The goal of the committee is to continually seek to raise and maintain the community's awareness of Habitat's work in ways that properly reflect the mission, beliefs and image of Habitat for Humanity.  Sharing the mission includes educating and informing the public of Habitat principles, polices and procedures in an accurate and responsible manner.  Effective sharing of the Habitat mission with the entire community will raise public awareness and ultimately activate more people to be involved in some way, shape or form in the elimination of poverty housing from the face of the earth.  It should also assist in additional leveraging of local resources to address local challenges.  Subcommittee work will include but not be limited to:  preparing reports for the Board; working closely with other committees to provide materials such as brochures, fact sheets, and other public education material; scheduling and providing media coverage for Habitat events and activities; developing a public relations annual plan; and planning and executing public relations events.
 

The Site Selection Committee's initial responsibility is to target the area(s) in Lafayette and Vermilion Parishes in which the ministry of Habitat will develop and work.  Ideally, this would be done in an area in which property is readily available at a reasonable cost.  Once an area is targeted, it is the committee's responsibility to identify and recommend property for acquisition to the Board.  The committee then follows through with the acquisition process.  Committee work will include but not be limited to:  evaluating the affiliates' geographic service area to determine appropriate and viable target neighborhoods/outlying communities in which the affiliate could build/renovate; working with the Board to establish a process by which properties are acquired and a range of permissible costs per building site; implementing necessary research to comprehensively determine the appropriateness and viability of each site that is identified or offered to the affiliate; seeking consultation of the construction/building committee to determine the build-ability of an identified site; looking for additional sites, always two to three years down the road when options are limited; and providing for the maintenance of all acquired sites until construction or renovation begins.
 

The Volunteer Committee exists to identify, recruit, orient, utilize, retain and recognize volunteers in order to carry out the ministry of Habitat for Humanity.  The committee is responsible for ensuring that the program is volunteer-friendly and conducive to a rewarding experience to maintain the highest possible level of participation.  Committee work will include but not be limited to:  establishing a breakdown of the pool of volunteers available to the affiliate by group (i.e. corporations, individuals, churches, homeowners, professionals, etc.); developing an annual plan for targeting new volunteers from untapped sources and groups; providing the Board with an annual report of committee actions and volunteer participation data; maintaining a database of volunteers who have served and those who are interested in volunteering in the future, including their skill level and areas of interest(s); working with other committees to organize an annual volunteer recognition program; and maintaining a record of the number of hours volunteered.