Habijax adopts new name as it expands into Nassau and Baker

The local Habitat for Humanity nonprofit is expanding to two more counties and taking on a new name as it tackles the region’s affordable housing crisis.

Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville, long known as HabiJax, was renamed Monday as First Coast Habitat for Humanity, reflecting its expansion from Duval County to Nassau and Baker.

The organization also has a new interim leader: Chris Folds, previously chief community partnerships officer. He replaces Monte Walker, who stepped down at the end of June to pursue other interests after five years as president and CEO of Habijax.

“Chris has the steady hand and deep institutional insight we need at this moment,” Jim Branch, chair of the nonprofit’s board, said in a news release. “He’s the right person to carry us forward as we scale our impact and lean into our expanded mission.”

Since its founding in 1988, First Coast Habitat for Humanity has helped 2,400 local families achieve
homeownership, and the group says it remains one of the top-producing Habitat affiliates in the United States.

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Now serving a broader region, the organization says it is setting ambitious goals to meet a deepening need for affordable housing across Northeast Florida.

According to a recent UNF Public Opinion Lab poll, 1 in 4 Duval County residents cite the cost of
housing as the community’s top concern. Meanwhile, more than half of renters in Jacksonville are
classified as “cost-burdened,” according to data from the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida.

The same issues are emerging in communities as diverse as Fernandina Beach, Hilliard, and Macclenny, Habitat says.

“This moment calls for clarity, urgency, and bold collaboration,” Folds said in the news release. “The housing crisis is real and growing. First Coast Habitat for Humanity is uniquely positioned to meet this moment. We’ve set aggressive goals to serve more families in more communities across the region. We know we can only succeed by working together with our staff, board, volunteers, donors, and partners.”