Former Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County Construction Manager, Mark VanLue, developed Cornerstone in 2003. Cornerstone is a required training program for our partner families to take as part of their sweat equity. During the course, we utilize the non-build winter months to continue our relationship with our volunteers and partner families by teaching construction. The class is once a week over a 12-week period in our Sample Street ReStore/Construction Warehouse. Each week, the class focuses on a different aspect of construction or home management, such as learning how to roof, side or take care of your hot water heater. The goal is to give partner families the knowledge needed to own a home successfully, moving from a renter's mindset, where you call the landlord each time there is a problem, to a homeowner's mindset, where you must deal with these problems.

Giving our partner families this knowledge is beneficial for more than one reason. When they arrive on the job site to actually begin working on their home, they are familiar with the vocabulary and procedures that will take place. They know how to participate alongside our staff and volunteers as they are roofing, siding or laying the foundation. This knowledge eliminates the social barriers between partner families and volunteers, allowing them to just connect on the common work.

Having the classes leading up to the build season also gives our staff and volunteers a way to get to know our partner families and begin forming that necessary relationship. We can bring everyone together by giving them a common experience, where they can laugh, work and play together in order to form a friendship. By the time a partner family completes Cornerstone and building their home, they know our staff and volunteers well. This makes the partner family's experience and house blessing all the more rich and special!

Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County holds the copyrighted student and teacher manuals and materials for other affiliates to purchase and use in their own affiliate. Cornerstone has been recognized by Workforce Development Services and the Indiana Plan representatives for its productivity and innovation. It has also been highlighted by Habitat for Humanity International as one of the "Best Practices." Cornerstone was awarded the Clarence Jordan Award by Habitat International, which recognizes this program as exceptional internationally. Many affiliates around the country have begun using these materials to enhance their partner family education. If your affiliate is interested in purchasing this from Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County, please contact our Cornerstone Sales Person, Elena Flynn, by email or phone at 574.288.6967 x11.

A personal testimony from LouJean Fobert, Construction Manager of Habitat in Mid-Willamette Valley, Oregon.

"We’ve...had seven sessions of...HabiClass now over a couple of years. ... In the class we build a shed that can be taken apart and reassembled at the build site to become the storage shed for the homeowner. At graduation, we give all our participants red hats and they become part of the “red hat” crew. These folks are task leaders and sometimes site leaders and have proven to be invaluable to our construction staff. And our homeowner families take great pride in wearing their red hat and being leaders on site. ... The most valuable thing [participants] learn is that it’s not about the house, it’s about the people."