Expanding the American Dream is a three-year, $28 million campaign that will help 100 families here, and abroad, build or repair their very own place to call home.

Thanks to you, the lives of 27 families in the San Gabriel Valley and abroad have been transformed. More to come!

Year 1 highlights:

  • 6 homeownership opportunities provided to local families
  • 11 critical home repairs completed for low-income homeowners
  • 10 homes built internationally

The American Dream Belongs to All of Us

Your children and grandchildren, your friends, your neighbors –
The American Dream belongs to all of them.

And it starts with homeownership

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But here's the problem.

In America, the average homeowner boasts a net worth that is a hundred times greater than that of a renter: $200,000 for homeowners compared with $2,000 for renters, according to the United States Census Bureau.

Today, those striving for the American Dream struggle under the burden of housing that pours 50% or more of their hard-earned income into monthly rent.

For many in the San Gabriel Valley, what was once the American Dream is now the impossible dream.

“My concept of human rights has grown not only to include the right to live in peace but also to adequate health care, shelter, food and economic opportunity,” says Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States and Habitat for Humanity volunteer.

Meet Shane and Andrea

Successful American Dreamers

With each move into a new apartment, Shane and Andrea faced high rents and cramped living spaces. Wherever they turned, a safe, quality, and affordable home was nowhere in sight.

This began to change the day their daughter brought a Habitat flyer home from school. They decided to apply for the Habitat homeownership program and were accepted!

In 2012, they purchased and moved into their Habitat home in Glendale that they had worked so hard to build. Thanks to their new home, Shane and Andrea were able to continue succeeding at work and in life. After four years in their Habitat home, Shane had a career-advancing move in Seattle, WA. As a result, they sold their home back to SGV Habitat and used the money to purchase a home on the open market.

Go to the next slide to meet Wesley, Alexis, Milo, and Louie – the new homeowners that moved into Shane and Andrea’s former home.

Meet Alexis and Wesley

The Next American Dreamers in the Glendale Home

Raising a child already brings a set of challenges, but being confined to a 300 square foot apartment takes the challenge to a whole other level.

With every step in their apartment, Wesley and Alexis risked disrupting baby Milo’s fragile sleeping schedule.

Plumbing issues and exposed wires hanging from the windows threatened their safety.

In 2016, Wesley, Alexis, and little Milo moved into their Habitat home. The next year, Milo became a big brother to baby Louie and they now both play in their safe, properly-sized, and affordable home.

You can make the American Dream come true for families like Wesley and Alexis’s here and abroad.

Donate Now

Dear True Believers in the American Dream,

IT’S SIMPLY THIS:

San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity
cannot provide or preserve the homes of
100 families over the next three years
(2021-2023) without your help.

We need you to dream with us.

Every gift makes a difference.

We rely on ReStore purchases and donations, state grants, mortgage proceeds, and you to cover the cost of the work we do every year.

Your donations will help us cross the finish line to the needed $28M for this three-year initiative. Expanding the American Dream is 100% donor dependent. It is only possible through your generous support year after year. (P.S. thank you.)

Major gifts, of course, move things along faster. Major gifts can also leverage additional community support, through matching gift appeals. Matching gift appeals can be anonymous or in your name.

And then there are “planned gifts” — charitable trusts, bequests and other such things. Adding a gift to your will for San Gabriel Valley Habitat is one of the most important gifts you can make. It is a major gift to the community and to generations of American Dreamers to come. Plus: you don’t need to be rich to make a major contribution. Just 1% of your estate will likely add up to a handsome sum. (P.S. We’re here to help, if you’re interested in this option.).

Your gift is a story about you and your belief in the American Dream.

Give The Gift of Home

Here's our promise:

San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity will embark on transforming the lives of 100 families here and abroad.

Thanks to you: providers and preservers of the American Dream.

Thanks to you: who want the San Gabriel Valley and beyond to be a place where everyone can dream big in their affordable home. San Gabriel Valley Habitat will help build the many dreams of Habitat Families both here and in the Philippines and Haiti, offering a range of homes, significant down payment assistance, and critical home repairs for 100 families.

Thanks to you: proud American Dreamers.

Thanks to you: San Gabriel Valley Habitat’s caring, enduring, and visionary supporter family. You’ve made every other big housing dream over the years possible!

(Just saying…)

Three Years.
100 Families.
Unlimited Dreams.

Be Part of the American Dream.
Donate Today.

Dream With Them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Expanding the American Dream is a three-year, $28 million campaign that will help 100 families here and abroad build or repair their very own place to call home.

In America, the average homeowner boasts a net worth that is a hundred times greater than that of a renter: $200,000 for homeowners compared with $2,000 for renters, according to the United States Census Bureau.

Today, those striving for the American Dream struggle under the burden of housing that pours 50% or more of their hard-earned income into monthly rent.

We rely on ReStore purchases and donations, state grants, mortgage proceeds, and YOU to cover the cost of the work we do every year.

Your donations will help us cross the finish line to the $28 million needed for this three-year initiative.

Expanding the American Dream is 100% donor dependent. It is only possible through your generous support year after year. (P.S. thank you.)

80% of the families served will be local, the remaining 20% live in Haiti or the Philippines

Donate or shop at the ReStores.

Volunteer once it’s safe to do so.

Make a monetary donation or monthly gift by signing-up for the Builders Club

Make a major gift to move things along faster or leave a legacy through a “planned gift” — charitable trusts, bequests and other such things.

Questions? Call Paul Van Ast | (626)340-2280 or by email

Since every home we build or repair needs sponsorship, consider sponsoring a team build day, part of a home or an entire project. This is a strong symbol of social citizenship and a powerful statement that everyone deserves a chance at the American Dream.

Ready to get involved?

Corporations & Foundations: Leah Schueler | email or 626-566-7348

Community, Faith & School Groups: Julianna Jaynes | (626) 419-3314 or email

Have More Questions?

We’re here to help! Contact Paul Van Ast by calling (626) 340-2280 or by emailing paulv@sgvhabitat.org