What is Habitat for Humanity?

Founded in 1976, Habitat for Humanity (HFH) is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. HFH seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need.

How many houses has Habitat for Humanity built?

Habitat for Humanity has built over 200,000 homes. In the organization’s first 25 years, 100,000 families worked with us to build their own homes. In just the past 5 years, an additional 100,000 families completed their homes.

Is Habitat for Humanity a global organization?

Yes, Habitat builds globally and focuses locally. Habitat has provided more than 1,000,000 people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter. A Habitat house is built every 24 minutes somewhere in the world. There are more than 1700 affiliates in all 50 states of the United States, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico. Go to www.habitat.org to find affiliates in over 90 countries around the world. Each affiliate is semi-autonomous with its own local board of directors and leadership. These affiliates serve their communities by creating housing using the Habitat model of volunteer labor, donated materials and charitable contributions.

How and why does it work?

The organization’s success is based on a strong home ownership model and grassroots structure. Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner (partner) families. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest loans. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments are used to build still more Habitat houses. Habitat is not a giveaway program. In addition to a down payment and the monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor -- sweat equity -- into building their Habitat house and the houses of others. Upon completion, families become homeowners by buying their homes from Habitat at cost and Habitat finances the purchase by providing interest-free loans.

How are the families selected?

The ultimate mission of Habitat for Humanity is to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the face of the earth by building adequate and basic housing. All of our words and actions are for the ultimate purpose of putting shelter into the hearts and minds of people so that poverty housing and homelessness become socially and politically unacceptable in our nation and the world. Habitat homeowner families are selected through an application process that evaluates: Level of need (through home visits, interviews, etc.) Willingness to partner with Habitat by spending 500 hours of “sweat equity” building their home and/or the homes of their neighbors as a down payment Ability to pay back a zero-interest mortgage loan Families must be coping with substandard living conditions that relate to overcrowding, dangerous living conditions such as gang violence, or lack of adequate heating, water, electricity, or bathroom facilities

What is the ultimate mission of Habitat for Humanity?

The ultimate mission of Habitat for Humanity is to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the face of the earth by building adequate and basic housing. All of our words and actions are for the ultimate purpose of putting shelter into the hearts and minds of people so that poverty housing and homelessness become socially and politically unacceptable in our nation and the world.

What is the Jimmy Carter Work Project (JCWP)?

Each year, Former US President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn give a week of their time—along with their construction skills—to build homes and raise awareness of the critical need for affordable housing. The JCWP is held at a different location each year, and attracts volunteers from around the world. This year the Jimmy Carter Work Project will be held in Los Angeles (October 28 – November 2, 2007), and will bring together thousands of volunteers to build houses with local families in need. The awareness event will culminate in a week-long blitz build, led by President and Mrs. Carter, and will shine a light on poverty housing in Los Angeles and around the world. It will illustrate what can be accomplished when families, communities and nations come together to build a future where every man, woman and child has a decent place to live. For additional information about the Jimmy Carter Work Project visit www.habitatla.org.