Starbucks Works with Habitat for Humanity in the Dominican Republic to Support Housing for Families in Santo Domingo

• Thirty Starbucks Dominican Republic partners (employees) volunteered to build houses in Haina, Santo Domingo.

Santo Domingo – Starbucks, operated in the Dominican Republic by retail licensee Green Star Partners, has set out to be a different kind of company – one that looks after and supports the communities it serves. Today, Starbucks Dominican Republic strengthens its commitment to the Dominican communities through a partnership with The Starbucks Foundation and Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic to provide locals in Haina, Santo Domingo, with decent housing through the NGO’s Housing Support Service Program.

Supporting communities is a significant part of how Starbucks Dominican Republic makes a greater impact and change at scale. The project started in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then, the partnership has sought to create a lasting impact in the community of Haina, Santo Domingo, by helping improve living conditions for locals.

“As we continue to grow our business, we remain true to Starbucks mission and values, using our scale for good and continuing to be a catalyst for positive change in the diverse communities we serve,” said José Luis Gómez managing director of Starbucks Dominican Republic. “I would like to thank Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic and The Starbucks Foundation for supporting us in our commitment, which is rooted in the belief that we can balance profitability and social conscience.”

Starbucks Dominican Republic endeavors to strengthen its communities by listening, supporting, investing, and uplifting in meaningful ways. Through access to microcredit loans made possible via Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic and the support of The Starbucks Foundation and Green Star Partners, which donated funds for construction, families in Haina have been able to gradually build their homes. In addition, The Starbucks Foundation grant supported training for more than 50 residents to gain greater knowledge in emergency preparedness and health homes.

“When the pandemic came, my husband and I both lost our jobs. During this transition period, he had the idea of ​​starting a cooking business from home since our local community had very little access to home-cooked meals. We eventually moved the business to a relative's house, and I started looking for a way to renovate our own house. Through a friend, I reached out to Habitat for Humanity. We did all the paperwork, and they approved the loan immediately,” said Gladibel Reyes, one of the beneficiaries of the project.

Starbucks Dominican Republic strives to uplift the communities and neighborhoods that host the company’s stores. To this end, in fall 2021, 30 Starbucks Dominican Republic partners joined forces and volunteered to finish three homes in Haina, Santo Domingo, serving their community, one family and one home at a time.  

"We are very happy about this partnership and joining efforts to empower Dominican families with self-sufficiency and ultimately driving the economy at the local level," emphasized Cesarina Fabián, National Director of Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic.

Starbucks Dominican Republic will continue to support initiatives with Habitat for Humanity as part of its ongoing commitment to create meaningful impact.

About Green Star Partners 

Green Star Partners is a strategic alliance created between Star Retail, Grupo País, Caribbean Cinemas and Punta Espada. Combining decades of national and international experience in sectors such as food, beverages, and retail. Since May 2020, the conglomerate Green Star Partners operates and expands the Starbucks brand in the Dominican Republic. 

About Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic 

Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic is an international non-profit organization that seeks to improve the living conditions of low-income families through access to decent housing and programs focused on minimizing risk and increasing response to disasters. 

With the vision of a world where each person has a decent place to live, families are empowered to create strength, stability and self-sufficiency through housing. To date, the institution has carried out more than 30 thousand housing solutions and impacted around 150 thousand people. 

Habitat Dominicana contributes to the country in improving the living conditions of the families that are part of the qualitative and quantitative housing deficit. This is achieved through the development of programs that facilitate access to housing microfinance for low-income families with technical assistance in construction, and by creating financial education programs that support and contribute to reducing the deficit. we empower with housing.