{"id":134291,"date":"2026-01-28T01:07:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T01:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/134291\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T01:07:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T01:07:12","slug":"the-home-maker-resident-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/134291\/","title":{"rendered":"The Home Maker \u2013 Resident News"},"content":{"rendered":"

20 Really Good People<\/p>\n

When you ask Chris Folds what he loves most about his work, he does not mention blueprints or dedication-day smiles. He talks about the pause, that quiet moment when a family steps into their new home and realizes \u2013 this is ours.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat moment never gets old,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As CEO of First Coast Habitat for Humanity, formerly known as HabiJax, Folds is guiding the organization through a pivotal rebrand that reflects its expanded service area across Duval, Baker, and Nassau counties. The mission remains steadfast: making homeownership possible for more working families.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Habitat team at the office space Downtown in The Jessie<\/p>\n

\u201cHomeownership changes the trajectory of a family,\u201d he shared. \u201cIt\u2019s about dignity, stability, and hope for the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

In today\u2019s economic climate, he added, the need is urgent.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur clients are making impossible choices, like going to the doctor or putting food on the table,\u201d Folds said. \u201cWe\u2019ve never been more needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the affiliate\u2019s founding in 1988, First Coast Habitat has helped more than 600 families fully satisfy their Habitat mortgages, including 197 families since 2021 alone. That milestone reflects both long-term stability and growing momentum. Families who purchase a Habitat home save an average of $200 a month compared to renting, and homes sold a decade ago have increased 74 percent in value, with nearly all still owned by the original buyers.<\/p>\n

\"FoldsFolds on a job site, working hard for the mission<\/p>\n

\u201cHabitat homeownership is one of the most proven wealth-building opportunities in our community,\u201d said Folds.<\/p>\n

His connection to Habitat goes back to college, when he interned with the organization and helped launch its first ReStore. After graduate school, he returned to work under longtime CEO Mary Kay O\u2019Rourke, whom he credits with shaping his leadership philosophy of compassion paired with accountability.<\/p>\n

\"FoldsFolds speaking at a leadership summit
\nat The Jessie<\/p>\n

In 2025, the Board of Directors named Folds CEO, a moment he calls the greatest honor of his career. Prior to Folds\u2019 arrival in the role, First Coast Habitat had invested $21 million in Jacksonville\u2019s New Town community, built more than 400 homes, completed 200 critical repairs, and strengthened initiatives supporting military families, survivors of human trafficking, and female heads of household. He is quick to credit past and present leaders for laying the foundation that made those investments possible, while embracing the responsibility of carrying that work forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis energy, enthusiasm, commitment, and passion for our mission has become infectious throughout the organization,\u201d said Steve Duce, Board Chair. \u201cThat would include staff and board. He\u2019s really embraced this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FoldsFolds speaks to a bus tour of supporters, sharing progress on active projects<\/p>\n

For Folds, it always comes back to the families, like Michelle Parker and her son Josiah. Michelle, a pediatric cancer survivor, once shared how Josiah was saving spare change in a shoebox under his bed to help his mom buy a new home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey still call me from time to time,\u201d Folds said. \u201cThat\u2019s the blessing built into this work.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"20 Really Good People When you ask Chris Folds what he loves most about his work, he does…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134292,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-134291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}