My Biz: Habitat refocuses on families

Jeff Capps admits he is not a construction person.

That may seem ironic given Capps serves as executive director of Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity, an organization that builds and rehabilitates some 20 houses in Linn and Benton Counties each year.

But his passion for his work trumps his lackluster power-tool skills.

“Anyone drawn to work for nonprofit organizations comes to it with a heart for the work and a desire to do good ...,” he said.

At Cedar Valley Habitat - where Capps signed on in 2009 - that means being in charge of the many facets of the organization's initiatives, including real estate development, construction, social services for families and retail through its ReStore.

In recent years, Habitat has reframed how it measures its effectiveness, Capps said.

“Now it's the number of families we serve and not just all about how many houses we build,” he explained.

While Habitat, started locally in 1988, did build its 100th home in the Cedar Rapids area last year, it served some 119 families in all.

Over the past three years, thanks in large part to the flood of 2008, Capps said his organization has ramped up production.

“We now serve in excess of 20 families per year, half new ownership and half owner-occupied. After the flood we needed to do something big, dream big,” said Capps, noting that Habitat offices at the time also were affected by the flood.

“I didn't have perspective on the flood until I got here,” Capps said. “I knew about the flood, and definitely followed coverage of it, didn't have a real respect for what had happened here.”

Capps came to Cedar Rapids after working for four years as director of Community Relations for Habitat in Memphis, Tenn.

Capps said he encounters several misconceptions about Habitat when out in the community.

“Our homeownership opportunities come with zero-interest loans,” he explained. “Habitat is the mortgage holder, but we are not landlords.”

Capps said the home as to be paid for over 20 to 30 years.

He adds that the impact Habitat makes on families, neighborhoods and its 1,000 volunteers is profound: “You see people transformed. We hear consistently that working with this organization has changed people's lives.”

Name: Jeff Capps

Title: Executive director

Company: Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity

Address: 350 Sixth Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids

Phone: (319) 366-4485

Website: http://www.cvhabitat.org/cvhfh

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