The Response

There are many organizations nationwide that address the problems of affordable housing. Some provide financial counseling to low-income families. Others seek to build affordable housing from the ground up. I will focus on two model organizations that work to create quality affordable housing, one of which I have already mentioned, Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together. These two organizations serve the needs respectively of creating new affordable houses (Habitat) and rehabilitating and repairing existing homes to make them safer, accessible and energy efficient (Rebuilding).

Benefits of Affordable Housing

These organizations seek to create new homeowners and bolster existing ones. Studies have shown that homeownership has countless benefits for the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities.

According to Habitat for Humanity, better housing results in better prevention and care for viral and bacterial infections, asthma, anemia, stunted growth, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, diarrhea, and malaria. Owning quality housing improves the mental health of families and individuals by providing stability and giving a sense of dignity and pride. Studies have also shown that feelings of alienation and depression as well as other mental health problems occur less often in families in houses. This is especially important for children—a safe place to play is important for development, and research shows that behavioral problems are fewer and test scores higher in children who live in houses.

Housing also helps the economic stability of individuals and communities. Homeownership is an important means for low-income families to accumulate wealth savings and establish credit. In a community, quality homes promote economic investment and development and create better school systems. These strong communities are safer with less crime. Individuals in these communities tend to encourage civic engagement and typically vote more often.

How They Work

Habitat is one of the most popular charitable organizations in the nation, endorsed by former president Jimmy Carter and countless pro-sports teams. Before this year I knew the name well, but I didn’t know exactly what they did and how they worked…

As I have discovered, Habitat makes home-ownership financially feasible by offering no-interest loans to families based on their level of need, their willingness to become partners in the program and their ability to repay the loan. Homeowners become partners in the program through an application process and by contributing Sweat Equity hours—working 250-500 hours of service on theirs and other homeowners’ houses before they can move in. Thus, as a former site leader of mine would say every morning before the build, “Habitat is not a hand-out, but a hand-up.”

Homeowners must also pay for the cost of the house, a task made more accessible since Habitat keeps costs down by using volunteer labor and donated or discounted materials and plots. This means that the homeowners in their no-interest loans pay only for the ‘sticks and bricks’ that went into their house.

The money from the loans then goes back into the affiliate to fund further builds. Habitat also is helped run through the popular Habitat Restore, a discount store for donated construction materials [also a great way to recycle old stuff].