Habitat for Humanity: Beyond Providing Housing 

Researched by Steve Tiberio 

 

Not only does Habitat for Humanity provide housing to those in need, the organization goes beyond that by providing financial literacy classes and taking action with advocacy. 

 

Financial Literacy: 

• Habitat offers financial education as part of the homeowner process. 
• Gaining a more in depth understanding and knowledge of the finances that are involved in being a homeowner is important and crucial for long-term success. 
• The classes have even helped families understand their own finances and even start their own personal businesses!

Advocacy: 

• Habitat advocates for mortgage regulations, tax credits, land access, and federal housing programs. 
• They routinely are demanding policies that lead to affordable housing for all and encourage others to do so as well. 
• Habitat on the Hill: is an annual legislative conference where habitat members and volunteers visit the U.S. Capital. 
  • They advocate for housing affordability and other related issues with legislators. 
• Linked here are petitions that Habitat is taking on action on. Visit it to let lawmakers know how important affordable housing is! 

Disaster Response 

Researched by: Emily Zarrilli 

 

Every year → natural disasters, war, and civil unrest displace millions of people from their homes. 

 

Habitat’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Response Program: 

• Contains volunteers and donors
• Offers shelter assistance, education, training, and partnerships to those affected
• Provides preventative support and information for disaster-prone areas
• Year round preparation to ensure readiness when disasters strike

 

Hurricane Katrina Response: 

Operation Home Delivery → house frames built around the U.S. and shipped to the Gulf for recovery efforts

• Helped low income and hurricane struck people receive affordable housing

Houses built for specific families → the families needed to put in certain efforts to help rebuild their home 

• Mortgage was cycled back into community to build more Habitat homes

Every family needs help to rebuild after an unprecedented disaster strikes. If you’re able, donate here. 

 

7 Findings of Covid-19’s Impact on Housing
Researched By: Rachel Lamore

1. Nearly 1/3 of people in the United States can’t afford their needs.
2. Covid-19 isn’t affecting everyone equally. In June 2020, Black Americans posted the highest unemployment rate of 15.4%, compared to 14.5% for Latinx, 13.8% for Asians and 10.1% for whites.
3. Families are struggling to make rent both fully and on time.
4. The number of borrowers who have deferred payments on their home loans have climbed.
5. Mortgage lenders continue to tighten their standards.
6. Builders of multifamily homes report construction delays.
7. The future is uncertain.  Follow this link to join Habitat in bringing this to the attention of Congress members. Low-income families and organizations that work hard to serve them need to be prioritized during this pandemic.

Habitat is a hand up, not a hand out. 

To qualify for a Habitat Home, one must:

• demonstrate a need for safe and affordable housing
• agree to participate in sweat equity
• be able and willing to pay an affordable mortgage

But wait, I thought Habitat was a non-profit. Where do the mortgage payments go?

Good question! The mortgage payments get cycled into the community to build Habitat Homes! This will something like materials or equipment that go into building the next home!

What is sweat equity?

sweat equity (noun): the contribution to a project or enterprise in the form of effort and toil. Sweat equity is the ownership interest, or increase in value, that is created as a direct result of hard work by the owner(s). It is the preferred mode of building equity for cash-strapped entrepreneurs in their start-up ventures, since they may be unable to contribute much financial capital to their enterprise.

What does sweat equity look like?

• construction on their homes or the homes of others
• cleaning a worksite
• working at a ReStore
• financial education classes

Habitat homeowners are required to put in a certain number of hours of sweat equity on their house or another house, as well as attend financial education classes to help them sustain their lifestyle. This idea is the foundation of how Habitat works! Cool, huh?

“What the poor need is not charity but capital, not case workers but co-workers.”

– Clarence Jordan, founder of Koinonai Farm, where Habitat for Humanity began