The work for Habitat for Humanity Capital District has slowed but never stopped during the pandemic.

“We kept building,” said Christine Schudde, the Capital District’s executive director.

Habitat managed to finish seven projects during the pandemic, including its 150th home. The nonprofit has weathered the storm, but another is brewing.

“To see increase 10, 20 percent within the span of a few months is really unheard of,” said Schudde. “Right now, we’re seeing that an average house is costing anywhere from $20-$50,000 more than it was pre-pandemic.”

In addition to fluctuating prices, sometimes the material is hard to come by, with some taking more than a month to arrive on the job site.

“Every time it draws out the timeline, it makes it more expensive,” said Schudde. “It also means the home buyers aren’t able to move in.”

And with people in one in three households in the Capital District having trouble paying rent, it’s less than ideal.

“That was before so many people lost jobs and so much instability,” said Schudde.

The organization has been forced to plan for the unknown more than ever before and to raise more money to fill the gaps. But Schudde says the work can’t stop.

“We’re going to keep building,” she said. “But it’s a new challenge that after the year we had, we didn’t anticipate.”