Saint-Gobain North America Partners with Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio

Sustaining Futures, Raising Communities program announces new partnership, next steps in project

NORTH CANTON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As part of its Sustaining Futures, Raising Communities program, Saint-Gobain North America (SGNA) today announced its new partnership with Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio. SGNA will donate the Sustaining Futures, Raising Communities home to Habitat, which will then sell the home with an affordable mortgage to a family who will benefit most from this revolutionary home concept. The family will move into the home in North Canton, Ohio, by early 2022.

“We are immensely proud to work with an organization that has a strong track record and commitment to making homes more attainable for all families,” said Jean Angus, CEO of Saint-Gobain Life Sciences based in Solon, Ohio. “This partnership between SGNA and Habitat is an incredible step in making sustainable homeownership more accessible for families across the country.”

The Sustaining Futures, Raising Communities home follows the concept of universal design, meaning it will be accessible to anyone—regardless of their age, potential disabilities or other factors.

The home will also be zero energy ready, meaning that with solar panel installation, the total amount of energy used is equal to the amount of renewable energy created on site. Zero energy ready homes are cost effective in comparison to standard homes because of the savings on energy costs and utility bills. This increases the affordability of homeownership for the family who moves into the Sustaining Futures, Raising Communities home.

“Through this partnership, we see a future full of opportunity—creating homes that stand the test of time and provide comfort and a sense of belonging for the owners,” said Beth Lechner, executive director of Habitat. “All of us at Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio are thrilled about this project’s positive community impact and the opportunity to discover new and innovative ways to build a better home for tomorrow, today.”

Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio is a leader in affordable housing solutions for low to moderate income families and individuals. This new partnership brings together SGNA’s vast knowledge of building products and processes and Habitat’s expertise in educating families and leading them toward strength, stability, and self-reliance through homeownership.

“The purposes of Habitat and Saint-Gobain intersect in the common goal focused on making a human impact through construction. Saint-Gobain North America and Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio are ideal partners,” said Mark Rayfield, CEO of SGNA. “We look forward to donating this zero energy ready, universal design house to Habitat. It will bring both comfort and energy efficiency to the family who will soon make it their home.”

More information on the family moving into the Sustaining Futures, Raising Communities home will be announced in the coming months. To learn more about the program and follow its progress, please visit sustainingfuturesraisingcommunities.com and follow along on social media using the hashtag #SustainingFuturesRaisingCommunities.

About Saint-Gobain
Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and solutions for the construction, mobility, healthcare and other industrial application markets. Developed through a continuous innovation process, they can be found everywhere in our living places and daily life, providing wellbeing, performance and safety, while addressing the challenges of sustainable construction, resource efficiency and the fight against climate change. This strategy of responsible growth is guided by the Saint-Gobain purpose, “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME”, which responds to the shared ambition of all the women and men in the Group to act every day to make the world a more beautiful and sustainable place to live in.

€38.1 billion in sales in 2020
More than 167,000 employees, located in 70 countries
Committed to achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050

For more information about Saint-Gobain, visit www.saint-gobain.com and follow us on Twitter @saintgobain.

About Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio
Serving Stark, Carroll, Tuscarawas, Harrison, and Jefferson Counties, Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio is driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live. People partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and purchase the homes with an affordable zero interest mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering, or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability, and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, Habitat empowers. To learn more, visit habitateco.org.