Habitat for Humanity

Photograph

By: Lenny Ignelzi

Date: June 19, 1990

Source: AP Images.

About the Photographer: Lenny Ignelzi is a photographer with the Associated Press, which is a worldwide news agency based in New York.

INTRODUCTION

Habitat for Humanity International (HFH or HFHI) is a nonprofit organization that helps provide housing to low-income families. Established in 1976 by millionaire Millard Fuller (1935–) and his wife Linda, HFH offers interest-free home loans to eligible families in exchange for two hundred hours of work (known as "sweat equity"). According to the organization, HFH and its affiliates have provided more than 150,000 homes in more than 3,000 communities worldwide. Mainly funded by philanthropists and charitable organizations, the group describes itself as an ecumenical Christian organization; HFH maintains, however, that homeowners and volunteers are chosen without regard to race, religion, or ethnicity.

Habitat for Humanity's work is accomplished at the community level by affiliates that are independent, locally run, nonprofit organizations. Affiliates are responsible for the house-building efforts while the HFH provides resources like mortgage loans and infrastructure support. All Habitat affiliates are asked to give ten percent of the contributions they receive to fund house-building work in other nations.

On several occasions, HFH has collaborated with U.S. government organizations. On February 13, 2002, the organization signed an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pledging to work together on the cleanup and redevelopment of "Brownfields" in distressed communities. Brownfields are abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial properties where redevelopment is complicated by environmental contamination. A key purpose of the collaboration was to encourage the use of Brownfields for developing affordable housing.

In the past, many prominent personalities have worked with Habitat for Humanity. Former U.S. President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter, along with his wife Rosalynn, became actively involved with the Habitat for Humanity community in 1984. Carter's first project for the organization involved restoring a six-story building in New York City. The building eventually accommodated as many as nineteen families in need of shelter. Ever since, Carter has been an influential advocate for the organization, helping to raise money, recruit volunteers, and raise awareness of the importance of affordable housing. Each year Carter and his wife sponsor the Jimmy Carter Work Project, an internationally recognized HFH event.

PRIMARY SOURCE

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Seeprimary source image.

SIGNIFICANCE

Habitat for Humanity has provided thousands of affordable houses to low-income families around the world. The Jimmy Carter Work Project (JCWP) alone, through various initiatives, has accommodated more than ten thousand people in the United States, Hungary, the Philippines, Mexico, South Korea, India, and South Africa. The involvement of Carter and his wife has reportedly attracted many volunteers. During the 2005 JCWP, held in Michigan, hundreds of volunteers helped build 238 homes for needy families.

However, critics of HFH argue that the organization's efforts to provide low-cost housing do not benefit those living below the poverty line. According to these critics, the fact that people who can afford monthly mortgage payments are eligible for Habitat houses indicates that they are not poor. Moreover, foreclosures on the houses provided to Habitat families occur infrequently, and opponents argue that HFH curbs its risks by partnering only with middle-income families instead of the homeless.

HFH has also been embroiled in other controversies. In 2003, the Sacramento Habitat for Humanity chapter was sued for providing a moldy house. In December 2003, an infestation of prairie dogs on a Habitat building site in Greely, Colorado, ultimately ended with the extermination of these animals after much negotiation with several animal rights groups. In a 2004 action alert titled "Stop Habitat for Humanity's War on Wildlife," published at the website for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), PETA urged HFH to amend its policies on house selection.

In January 2005, HFH announced the dismissal of founders Millard and Linda Fuller, amid accusations that Millard behaved inappropriately toward a former female employee. Several other former employees accused Fuller of prior sexual misconduct. Some observers suggested the Fullers' departure stemmed from philosophical differences among the organization's leaders. The Fullers went on to form the Fuller Center for Housing, based on principles similar to those of HFH.

HFH has been supported by numerous charitable institutions as well as governmental agencies. Studies have shown that Habitat partner families enjoy better health, children of the family do better in school, and parents often improve their own education after moving into their own home. The government benefits from an increase in tax revenue as a result of property taxes paid by homeowners of Habitat-sponsored houses. Further, studies involving low-cost houses have also shown that Habitat houses increase property values rather than having an adverse effect on other properties in the neighborhood.

On June 7, 2001, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Mel Martinez addressed the United Nations General Assembly, commending the efforts of Habitat for Humanity. He said, "I took hammer in hand and joined the President in Tampa, Florida, to help kick off Habitat for Humanity International's World Leaders Build. We support Habitat for Humanity and its faith-based cousins wholeheartedly—they are helping to instill in our citizens something that government alone cannot: a sense of hope, and a sense of pride."

The 2004 and 2005 natural disasters Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, and the South Asian tsunami have prompted HFH to provide housing assistance to families left homeless by these calamities. The organization is reportedly involved in building more than 250 homes in areas affected by Katrina and Rita. According to HFH, by the end of 2007, it also plans to build 7,500 permanent homes for families affected by the tsunami. For these and other efforts, Habitat for Humanity has received funds from CitiGroup, Verizon, Bank of America, and the Bush-Clinton Tsunami Aid (founded by former U.S. presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton).

FURTHER RESOURCES

Books

Baggett, Jerome P. Habitat for Humanity: Building Private Homes, Building Public Religion. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000.

Web sites

Habitat for Humanity. "Habitat for Humanity Receives Bush-Clinton Tsunami Funding For Indonesia." May 2, 2006. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ articles/A18460–2005Mar8.html> (accessed May 23, 2006).

Learning to Give. "Carter, James Earl, Jr. (Jimmy Carter)." <http://www.learningtogive.org/papers/index.asp?bpid =82> (accessed May 23, 2006).

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. "Secretary Martinez's Remarks to the United Nations General Assembly." June 7, 2001. <http://www.hud.gov/news/ speeches/assembly.cfm> (accessed May 23, 2006).

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "EPA Memorandum of Understanding with Habitat for Humanity." February 13, 2002. <http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/pdf/habitat. pdf> (accessed May 23, 2006).

Washington Post. "Harassment Claims Roil Habitat for Humanity." March 9, 2005. <http://www.washington-post.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18460–2005Mar8.html> (accessed May 23, 2006).