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What is Habitat for Humanity?
Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical
Christian organization dedicated to eliminating substandard housing and
homelessness worldwide. Habitat is founded on the conviction that every
man, woman and child should have a simple, decent, affordable place to
live in dignity and safety.
Habitat for Humanity's policy is to
build with people in need regardless of race or religion, and we welcome
volunteers and supporters from all backgrounds.
Through the love
of God, the work of Habitat for Humanity is driven to eliminate poverty
housing. Habitat's methods are derived from a few key theological
concepts: the necessity of putting faith into action, the "economics of
Jesus" and the "theology of the hammer."
How Does Habitat Work?
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 homes are sold to partner families at no
profit, financed with affordable, no-interest loans. The homeowners'
monthly mortgage payments are used to build more Habitat houses.
Habitat is Building Simple, Decent and Affordable Homes
Habitat is no t a giveaway program.
In
addition to a down payment and the monthly mortgage payments,
homeowners invest their own labor -- sweat equity -- into building their
Habitat house and the homes of others. Families are required to put in a
minimum of 375 sweat equity hours for a two-parent family and 325 sweat
equity hours for a single-parent family. Each family must also attend
educational courses on how to maintain a home, landscaping, budgeting
and insurance.
The combination of holding down construction
expense with volunteer labor and the 0% interest on a mortgage is what
makes these homes affordable. Including property taxes and insurance,
the Habitat homeowner's monthly mortgage payment is no more than 25
percent of their gross income. History
Since its founding in 1987, Habitat for Humanity of Dane County has
built and then sold homes to 178 working, low income
individuals/families. HFHDC also assists other city and county agencies
to provide low income housing and remodeling assistance.
As land
and real estate taxes escalated in the 1990s, HFHDC expanded from
providing housing for 1-2 families per year to 8-12 families per year.
HFHDC began renovating existing apartments and creating modest
condominium homes.
In late 1995, an ambitious four-year project
began: the purchase and renovation of eight apartment buildings in the
troubled Eric Circle Neighborhood in the Town of Madison. In 1998, the
Eric Circle Project had been renamed by the new Habitat homeowners to
Harmony Park, reflecting the new spirit of community and cooperation. In
early 2000, the last four families moved into their new condominium
homes and completed the new neighborhood of 29 families and the
permanent site of our Habitat office.
Habitat
for Humanity of Dane County launched an equally ambitious project in
2002 with the purchase of a 40-acre site on the east side of Madison to
develop a mixed-income neighborhood called Twin Oaks. Habitat retained
50 sites and sold the remaining to a range of for-profit and nonprofit
builders. Habitat later purchased two more lots. Thanks to a capital
campaign that raised more than $4 million from companies, churches,
foundations and individuals, Habitat has partnered with more than 52
families to build homes in Twin Oaks. The last two homes in the site
will be completed in the spring 2011.
In addition to Twin Oaks,
the Northside and Southside of Madison, Habitat has built in Oregon,
Stoughton, Deerfield, Mt. Horeb, Monona, Sun Prairie and Middleton.
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County continues to look for ways to work
with more families to attain the dream of homeownership, including the
re-development of existing multi-family homes using the Harmony Park
model.
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