Habitat for Humanity
Written By: Betty Stephens of Quest Media
Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, Christian housing ministry that believes that every man, woman and child should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live. They build and repair houses all over the world using volunteer labor and donations. The partner families purchase these houses through no-profit, no-interest mortgage loans or innovative financing methods. They operate Worldwide. The operational headquarters are located in Americus, Georgia and the administrative headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
How Habitat Works
They work through volunteer labor and donations. Homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor into building their Habitat house and the houses of others.
• Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit and financed with
affordable loans.
• The homeowners’ monthly mortgage payments are used to build still more
Habitat houses.
They build decent, affordable houses. Decent, affordable housing dramatically changes a family’s life:
• The cycle of poverty is broken.
• Health, physical safety and security improve.
• Educational and job prospects increase.
• A sense of stability and dignity grows.
• Money is freed up for other essential needs.
Families Receiving Habitat Houses
Families in need of decent shelter may apply to local Habitat affiliates. The affiliate’s family selection committee chooses homeowners based on their level of need, their willingness to become partners in the program and their ability to repay the loan. Every affiliate follows a nondiscriminatory policy of family selection. Neither race nor religion is a factor in choosing the families who receive Habitat houses.
Habitat Affiliates
The affiliates are community-level Habitat for Humanity offices that act in partnership with and on behalf of Habitat for Humanity International. Each affiliate coordinates all aspects of Habitat home building in its local area.
Donations are Distributed and Used
Habitat for Humanity relies on gifts from individuals, corporations and other groups to fund their house-building mission worldwide. All donations of any amount are deeply appreciated and help to build more decent, affordable houses with more families across the globe. Designated donations are allocated in support of the U.S. affiliate, national organization or program of the donor’s choosing. Undesignated gifts are invested through the Global Impact Fund where they can have the greatest impact.
The Global Impact Fund helps:
• Design and replicate innovative programs to serve more low-income families.
• Build the capacity of our network of U.S. affiliates and national organizations.
• Cover other costs necessary to ensuring that Habitat fulfills its mission with excellence.
• Habitat’s most recent audited financial statement is available online.
Management of Habitat for Humanity International
An ecumenical, international board of directors who are deeply concerned about the problems of poverty housing around the world manages the organization. The Habitat headquarters are operated by an administrative staff, professional and support employees, and volunteers.
Become a Volunteer
Contact your local Habitat for Humanity for their volunteer opportunities and explore their Get Involved section. Explore the Get Involved section. There are many different volunteer programs. Click this link to volunteer.