In the ROOM at ICFF: The spaces that shape us with Sabrina Lippman of Habitat for Humanity

Recorded live from ICFF 2026, Wesley Edmonds sits down with Sabrina Lippman, CEO of Habitat for Humanity NYC & Westchester, for a powerful conversation about housing, dignity, and the life-changing impact of homeownership.

From transforming underutilized spaces across New York City into thriving communities, to helping working families build generational stability, Sabrina shares how Habitat for Humanity is redefining what affordable housing can look like in one of the world’s most expensive cities.

Together, they explore the emotional impact of having a place to call home, the connection between design and dignity, and why creating stability gives people the freedom to dream bigger.

Key Insights

1. Homeownership can create generational stability by giving families an asset they can leverage for education, entrepreneurship, and long-term economic mobility.
2. Affordable housing must respond to its location, from single-family homes to cooperative buildings that transform underused New York City land into homeownership opportunities.
3. Stability at home creates a ripple effect that strengthens health, education, civic engagement, and families’ investment in their communities.
4. Habitat’s sweat equity model builds dignity by preparing homeowners through financial education, maintenance skills, volunteer work, and cooperative leadership training.
5. Affordability and thoughtful design are not mutually exclusive; creative, personalized spaces can help people feel seen without requiring extravagant budgets.
6. Design’s greatest impact often emerges through collaboration, where understanding people’s needs gives them the freedom to imagine what their lives and spaces could become.

Learn more about Sabrina Lippman
Sabrina Lippman is CEO of Habitat for Humanity New York City and Westchester County, where she advances affordable homeownership and community development. A native New Yorker with more than 15 years of real estate and nonprofit leadership, she is passionate about creating stability, equity, and opportunity for families. Connect with Sabrina on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Wesley Edmonds
Wesley Edmonds is the Director of Workplace at OFS, where she combines her background in interior design with a passion for relationship-building, workplace strategy, and the future of work. After beginning her career as a commercial interior designer, Wesley transitioned into the furniture industry, bringing together design expertise and business development to help create more thoughtful, human-centered environments. As a contributor to Imagine a Place and host of In the ROOM, she is dedicated to fostering meaningful conversations that inspire designers, challenge industry thinking, and explore how the spaces we create shape the way people live and work. Connect with Wesley on LinkedIn.

Read More about Wesley in the Imagine a Place Journal

Learn more about In The ROOM. 
In the ROOM is a podcast series from Imagine a Place that brings listeners into candid, on-site conversations with the designers, strategists, and creative leaders shaping the future of work, culture, and human-centered spaces. Hosted by Wesley Edmonds, Director of Workplace at OFS, the series is recorded live inside ROOM’s modular, soundproof environments at leading industry events, offering a front-row seat to bold ideas, emerging trends, and the people redefining how spaces help us feel, connect, collaborate, and live. Follow Imagine a Place on LinkedIn.