Home Matters® Sparks National Conversation around the Importance of Home with Two Forward-thinking Initiatives
SILICON VALLEY, Calif., Nov. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Home Matters®, the national movement focused on raising awareness and funds to make Home a reality for all, today launched two core initiatives at the Social Innovation Summit: a digital campaign and a national design challenge. Developed to educate the public about the national housing crisis, these programs are supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Wells Fargo Foundation, and aim to spark a national dialogue around possible solutions.
"Home is not just about having four walls and a roof over our heads, it's about the environment around us that affects the choices we make in life and who we become," explains Dave Brown, CEO of Home Matters. "Home Matters exists to raise funds and build awareness of the need for more affordable homes and better communities in pursuit of a New American Dream—an ideal that reflects new and changing American values. Since the Social Innovation Summit is known as a forum to discuss fresh ideas, the conference is an ideal launch pad for Home Matters to share its new approach to an unsolved social problem in America."
Redefining Home: A Design Challenge
Redefining Home: A Design Challenge is the first US-wide competition that aims to address one of our nation's most critical challenges: how to create affordable homes that enable every individual and community to thrive. The competition launched today, and supported by the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation and in partnership with San Francisco Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIASF), is challenging architects and designers to re-imagine the Home of the future and develop practical solutions to our nation's housing crisis.
"Multiple influences are impacting the sustainability of today's households," said Kimberly Jackson, head of Wells Fargo Housing Foundation. "As the nation's leading home lender, Wells Fargo believes in supporting efforts that create affordable and sustainable housing, which are critical to creating stronger communities. That's why we believe it makes sense to support the Home Matters initiative that will help shape the future of environmentally-smart affordable housing."
"AIASF is excited to have this opportunity to engage architects in developing the future of affordable housing," comments Jennifer Jones, Executive Director of AIA's San Francisco chapter. "This competition has the potential to make a real difference in the future of Home design."
Home Matters Digital Campaign
The Home Matters movement introduces a digital video campaign along with an interactive quiz, made possible by a three-year grant from the MacArthur Foundation. The videos will consist of candid interviews of real people whose struggles and achievements have been dramatically impacted by where they live. The first video in the series premiered today at the Social Innovation Summit and includes an exclusive interview with interior decorator and HGTV personality Monica Pedersen. Through these personal stories, the videos will explore how social issues such as health, education, public safety and economic opportunity are affected by the quality, affordability and location of one's home. In response to shifting conventions and values about Home, Home Matters hopes to show how Americans have veered away from the conventional image of the American Dream as the big house and white picket fence, and toward a societal commitment to improve quality of life for all Americans.
"The MacArthur Foundation is pleased to support Home Matters and its efforts to demonstrate the value of home to the broader public," says Julia Stasch, interim president of the MacArthur Foundation. "Recent and emerging evidence through the Foundation's How Housing Matters initiative reveals that housing promotes an array of positive outcomes. It is at the core of how we as a society can tackle some of the most important issues – of how we ensure children thrive and learn, of how adults have a strong foundation to succeed in the workforce, and of how we enable our elderly to age with the dignity and care they deserve."
By introducing a bold new approach, the Home Matters movement hopes to spark a powerful public dialogue to address one of our nation's toughest challenges: making Home a reality for all Americans.
About Home Matters®
The Home Matters® (www.HomeMattersAmerica.com) movement was launched in 2013 by a group of visionary housing professionals and leaders that identified a gap in public discourse. Fundamental social challenges in our nation – from health to education, to public safety, the economy and individual success – all have a common denominator: their connection to Home. With a high-level, holistic approach to housing, Home Matters underlines the link between Home and these core societal issues such as health, education, safety, individual success and the economy.
SOURCE Home Matters
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