The house that Jack built

The House that Jack Built—Habitat for Humanity by Connie Voss

 

A clean, decent place to live is the hope of every family.  The ‘American Dream’ of owning a home has eluded so many that they have given up ever owning a home of their own.  However, countless programs for ‘helping’ the needy have tried and failed–especially federal housing projects that require little from the occupants.

Confessions of a Black Conservative  author Lloyd Marcus speaks of moving into low-income housing as a child and seeing it trashed after two years.  Most of us can think of examples.  There is a better solution.

I speak of a program that has worked for 36 years and is still going strong. The best exposure to what this organization does came from working one Saturday as a crew volunteer, interviewing other crew members, and one office employee. I already had great admiration for this program that has only grown from conducting this research. Habitat for Humanity has blessed the lives of countless families, both the recipients of the homes, and the volunteers who have constructed them.

Habitat for Humanity International, a completely non-profit, non-denominational, faith-based and privately funded organization was founded in 1976 by Millard Fuller.  The whole program is a housing micro-finance solution in the form of a “hand up, not a hand out.”  A third of families in the United States have housing challenges, and that percentage is about the same for families worldwide, which equates to over 2 billion people.  Therefore, Mr. Fuller embarked on a mission to completely eliminate substandard housing around the globe—a daunting task at best.

Thirty five years later, the program has helped 500,000 families worldwide.  Families in poverty who are selected by Habitat panels have the dignity of assisting in the building of their own home, with the help of skilled volunteers. In the vernacular of Mother Goose, this is the house that Jack (and often Jill) built.  One hundred and fifty homes are completed every 24 hours.

Recipient families have thrived, with improved relationships, better health and comfortable places for children to study.  In addition, the organization continues to explore and implement new ways of helping the poor including other microfinance solutions.  Habitat for Humanity stands as a landmark among services directed at eliminating poverty, improving the quality of life for families, and the communities where they live.

How It Works

In the author’s area, Habitat for Humanity of Butte County functions as an “affiliate” of the larger organization, as local branches are called.  Land for Habitat homes is donated by the city of Chico, California, through the state Redevelopment Agency.  In order to qualify for the home and zero-interest, 20-30 year mortgage, a family must show a stable work history and income sufficient for monthly payments and home maintenance. Of course the payments are significantly lower than those for market-value homes.

Recipients, usually referred to as “partners” are required to put in 250 hours of sweat equity for each adult in the family.  In addition, there are required classes to attend.  Three are financial: Budgeting 101, Financial Freedom, and Insurance and Property Tax. Three more focus on maintenance, safety, and solar power (standard for all HFH homes in Butte County).

Some of the grant donors stipulate conditions, such as classes for recipients to start Neighborhood Watch. There is also an on site Q&A session upon move in, and each recipient is assigned a mentor. In some cases, mentors are past HFH recipients who are helping new homeowners.

Initially, Habitat pledged to not accept government funds.  Over the years, there has been some loosening of that policy.  Governments have been anxious to corroborate with HFH efforts, and frequently donate land for projects, as mentioned in the case of Butte County.  However semantic it might seem, Habitat only accepts donated lands and not government funds, to maintain the private nature of the work.

Another facet of the Butte County affiliate is the store for low-cost home maintenance materials, the ReStore.  This store is basically a thrift store that functions in the capacity of a home improvement warehouse.  Both new and used items are donated for resale.  Available materials include hardware, electrical fixtures, cabinets, countertops, molding, windows, doors, and paint, all at very affordable prices.

The track record in Butte County alone is impressive. Since 1993, they have completed twenty homes, with more under construction.  On the website, there is a video that includes touching testimonials of beneficiaries. They have had the empowerment of helping to build their own home through sweat equity, which accounts for a large portion of the success of the program.

While sweat equity has been the cause of much of Habitat’s success, mentoring has played a major part in the program’s accomplishment as well.

The Role of Mentoring

Mentoring is pretty much what Habitat for Humanity is all about. As we have already seen, the whole program is centered in mentoring those in poverty to construct a home–from foundations to frames and finish work. Volunteer mentors who are skilled in these areas teach those who are fulfilling their sweat equity requirements of 250 hours per adult family member.

These instructors are often but not always, retired professionals both in and out of the construction field.  The late Paul Newman, and former President Jimmy Carter, have been among the most famous volunteers. Mr. Newman summed up Habitat’s mission this way: “Habitat for Humanity is building much more than houses.  By building hope it is building relationships, strengthening communities and nurturing families”.

Even more, a mentor is assigned to each new homeowner to address specific concerns that may not have been covered in homeowner classes. In Americus, Georgia, near where Habitat for Humanity started, Hattie Pitts is a staff member whose chief duties are to allay fears in prospective and newly moved-in homeowners. Some folks are reluctant to leave the familiarity of housing projects, even when the conditions are terrible. Ms. Pitts, a former welfare mother of six and Habitat homeowner, encourages families to make the break and not give in to fear.

This leads to further discussion of ways that HFH has improved the quality of life for not only the recipients, but the communities where they live.

Improved Health

Partners with HFH have not only gained a residence but a healthier environment for themselves and their children.  This is especially true in third world countries such as Malawi, India and Zambia, but also applies to homes built in the North America as well.  Countless examples of families whose health was compromised in substandard housing have improved health after moving into a Habitat home (Fuller, 2000, 107).

One such example was that of Thelma and James Sigmon, and their two year old son Lester.  They were living in an old home with lead-based paint that was peeling off of the walls. Being a typical toddler, Lester was ingesting the paint and consequently had dangerously high levels of lead in his blood.  When they read about Habitat in the local paper, Thelma and James applied and were chosen for a home in Springfield, Ohio.  After five years in their new home, their son’s health improved greatly, and he became a straight-A student.

Feeling safe and secure is fundamental to the well-being of families, and Habitat homes provide just that.  Brenda and Doug Trendall and their seven children lived in a single-wide, two bedroom trailer in Edmonton, Alberta, that literally had ice on the walls. Their door was even frozen shut one morning and they had to call neighbors to pry it open.  Illness was a constant threat.

Needless to say, the Trendalls were desperate, and after hearing about HFH on television, they applied.  Upon moving in, they had less illness from the cold, and hence the children did better in school.  More space often leads to less arguing as well.

Many partner families have reported that children have excelled in school from having an adequate place to study, and therefore a better chance at furthering their career aspirations.  Some have found careers through their involvement with HFH, which will be considered next.

Embarking on New Careers

Some families have received an unexpected benefit from the skills they learned while building their own home—a new career. One study stated that 40 percent of Habitat homeowners began new careers after completing their home.  Twenty five percent found more opportunities in the new jobs than in the ones they left (Fuller, 2000, 130).

After being evicted from their apartment and living in a tent, Karlee and Gary Bohn and their six boys were selected for a Habitat home in Anchorage, Alaska. Gary was on site everyday, learning all of the steps necessary to build a home.  Subsequently, he was able to get a job at a lumber company, and was later promoted to managing the entire lumberyard.  Having the family settled has also enabled Karlee to return to college.

Not only have homeowners found new careers, but volunteers have done so too.  As a student at Westminster College, in New Wilmington, Delaware, Scott Mulrooney participated in a Habitat build.  After his experience, he embarked on training as an international partner in Americus, Georgia.  Thereafter he spent two years in Guatemala, and then on to the island of Antigua to launch the first Habitat affiliate there.  At the last report, he was on the HFH International staff in Washington DC, to handle international concerns.

Although HFH is as close to perfect as the author has seen in providing for the poor, there have been occasional glitches—some of which are reviewed in the following section.

Some Challenges

All has not been trouble-free in the life of Habitat for Humanity.  Like any organization, they have had problems along the way.   A major problem occurred when founder Millard Fuller was accused of sexual harassment by female staff members.  Mr. Fuller’s personality became a little too familiar for some women, even though no harm was intended.  After negotiations, Fuller assumed the decision-making role of CEO, and a chief of operations was hired.  This shift allowed him the time to promote Habitat through speaking engagements.

In 1995, during Jimmy Carter’s annual ‘blitz-build’ in Watts, California, there were some negative reactions among the residents. The twenty-one house project had some planning issues, and the people felt that a bunch of do-gooders were barging in on them.  At one point, Carter was asked to leave. However, with some plan revisions and taking time to listen to residents’ concerns, the project was finished on time.  Former President Carter was even seen working on homes as late as 2:00am–pretty good for an elderly man.

After reading accounts such as former President Carter’s, an understandable curiosity necessitated seeing Habitat in action first hand, and the account follows.

At Ground Level: Habitat for Humanity of Butte County

I opted to get ‘down and dirty’ with the Butte Habitat crew one Saturday morning for a build in Chico, California.  Upon arrival, workers were greeted by Sarah, owner of a Habitat home a few doors down.  She was helping out so others could have their own home as well.  Work began with all crew members joining hands for a prayer.

Richard and Sandra, the future owners for the home being constructed, were on site and working diligently.  This couple had three children, one of whom was already telling his sisters to stay out of his room!

The foreman, Dan Braz, was a seasoned Habitat veteran of 25 years.  He related stories of projects for which he volunteered in the Philippines, Korea and Nicaragua, as well as the Deep South, where he worked with former President Carter.  Mr. Braz felt that the community benefits of Habitat for Humanity were even greater than the family receiving the home.

He supervised the installation of the outer insulation and dual pane windows on this particular morning.  He also pointed out that the home was framed with 2 x 6” lumber instead of the traditional 2 x 4”, to accommodate added insulation for energy efficiency.  Factored in with the solar panels that every Habitat home in Butte County is equipped with, utility bills for homeowners have been negligible. Sarah the greeter said her most recent utility bill was negative $11.00—a noteworthy accomplishment by any definition.

The entire experience was positive and uplifting, leaving me with nothing but well-deserved praise and conclusions about Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat for Humanity has become one of the most successful anti-poverty movements in history.  Participants are motivated by a faith-based desire to bless the lives of others not yet fortunate enough to own their own home.  Recipient families of these modest, but beautiful homes have flourished in ways that would not otherwise be possible—living healthier, happier and more productive lives.

They have gained a sense of pride and ownership of homes that many Jacks, Jills, Joes and Janes helped build.  Volunteers have likewise been duly rewarded for their efforts.  In some cases, they have gone on to use the newly acquired skills to excel in new careers.

Habitat continues its pursuits to eliminate sub-standard housing from the world, and explore other micro-finance options.

– Cruise Specialists Will Assist You – PROMO Code

________________________________________________________

Read About The Real Barack Hussein Obama

PRonlineNews is a daily newsletter of events from around the world and a direct supporter of America’s Mighty Warriors.

Short URL: https://pronlinenews.com/?p=33356