Look for the Helpers 10: Building Homes and Hope

This episode centers on Kevin L. Smith’s long vocation of service through Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County and the way his housing work and Christian calling have grown together over time. Kevin describes a formative sense of calling, “be with my people,” which led him through a Mennonite volunteer program to Habitat for Humanity in Fresno and then back home to Delaware, where he has now spent three decades building homes, community, and hope. He also reflects on his more recent ordination as a deacon in the United Methodist Church, explaining that seminary and ordained ministry formalized work he feels he had already been doing for years: connecting the church to the needs of the world and helping congregations live their faith in tangible ways.

A major theme of the conversation is Kevin’s conviction that a home means far more than shelter. He explains that first-time homeownership changes not only the life of a buyer, but the expectations and trajectory of that buyer’s children. Stability, affordability, health, school performance, and the possibility of college or long-term advancement all become more attainable when a family has a stable place to live. He describes homeownership as a launch pad that enables families to live more fully into their potential.

The discussion then broadens from individual families to the housing system in Delaware. Kevin argues that Habitat’s role is larger than building houses. It includes advocacy around the structural causes of the housing crisis, especially zoning rules that block density and keep affordable housing from being built in many suburban areas. He discusses the need for inclusionary zoning, where municipalities require a portion of new market-rate development to be set aside as affordable, and he pushes back against the idea that affordable housing should be confined to Wilmington or other urban cores. Teachers, nurses, caregivers, and service workers live throughout the state and need housing in every kind of community.

The faith dimension runs through the whole conversation. Kevin frames Habitat explicitly as a Christian ministry that puts God’s love into action by building homes, communities, and hope. He sees churches as natural partners, not only through volunteering and fundraising, but increasingly through property stewardship. One striking example is Habitat’s partnership with the New Castle Presbytery to develop 23 housing units on church-owned land in Glasgow. This part of the conversation shows how churches can move from charity alone toward using their assets in structurally meaningful ways.

The episode also clarifies what makes Habitat’s model distinctive. Kevin explains that Habitat is not simply a builder. It also acts as a lender, providing zero-interest mortgages and spending months preparing families through training and sweat equity to support long-term success. He emphasizes that Habitat does not “give away homes” and that the organization serves people who are financially and personally ready for homeownership, while also offering repair programs for existing low-income homeowners, many of them seniors.

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We envision a world where design and religion work together to spread love, empathy, and charity faster than divisiveness, selfishness, and hate. To achieve this, we aim to bring the stories of those driving this change—both big and small—into the spotlight, allowing ideas for positive transformation to spread quickly and reach those who need them most.

Nate is the Head Pastor at Red Clay Creek Presbyterian Church https://rccpc.org/

Van is a Service Designer and Illustrator, and his work can be found at https://www.vansheacreative.com/