Habitat for Humanity facts for kids
 |
|
| Founded | 1976 Americus, Georgia, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Founders | Millard Fuller Linda Fuller |
| Type | Non-profit, interest group |
| Location |
|
| Services | "Building simple, decent and affordable housing" |
| Fields | Protecting human rights |
|
Key people
|
Jonathan Reckford, CEO |
Habitat for Humanity International (often called Habitat for Humanity or just Habitat) is a special group from the U.S. that helps build homes. It's a non-governmental and nonprofit organization. This means they don't work for a government and they don't try to make money. Their main goal is to build homes that people can afford.
A couple named Millard and Linda Fuller started Habitat in 1976. Their main office for worldwide work is in Americus, Georgia, USA. They also have an office in Atlanta. As of 2023, Habitat for Humanity helps people in over 70 countries around the world.
Habitat for Humanity works to build or fix homes for families who don't have a lot of money or who are facing tough times. They build homes using volunteers. People who will live in the homes also help build them. This is called "sweat equity." Sometimes, they also hire builders for special tasks. Habitat does not make any money when they sell these homes. In some countries outside the U.S., Habitat might add a small fee to protect against prices going up over time.
This organization gets money from different places. Governments, groups that give money to good causes, big companies, and even media companies help them out.
Contents
How Habitat for Humanity Started
The idea for Habitat for Humanity began in 1965. This was when Linda and Millard Fuller spent time at a place called Koinonia Farm. Before this, the couple had a very successful business. But they decided to start a new life helping others through Christian service.
Habitat for Humanity even used new technology to build homes. In Tempe, Arizona, they used a special machine to 3D-print walls for a house. They did this when there weren't enough people to help build in the usual way.
Habitat's Programs
Helping Home Exteriors: A Brush With Kindness
Habitat for Humanity has a program called A Brush With Kindness. This program helps homeowners who don't have a lot of money and find it hard to keep up with the outside of their homes. It's a way to help families and communities.
Groups of volunteers work together to fix up the outside of these homes. This often includes painting, doing small repairs, working on the yard, and cleaning up. It also helps make homes better for different weather.
Habitat's Local Groups
Jacksonville: HabiJax
Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville is also known as HabiJax. It is the biggest local group of Habitat for Humanity in the United States. In 2009, a magazine called Builder said HabiJax was the eighth-largest home builder in the U.S. By 2023, HabiJax had been helping for 35 years. They have provided homes for over 2,300 families.
HabiJax History
The HabiJax group started in 1988. Nine people from different churches in Jacksonville created it. They got their first money from a group called the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. Their very first project was a house given to them by a church. They moved it, set it up, and fixed it for the first family to own a HabiJax home.
What HabiJax Does
HabiJax does more than just build new homes. In certain neighborhoods, they also fix up homes, make them better for different weather, and help people learn about owning a home. By 2012, they had helped over 7,500 families.
Working Together in Jacksonville
Many groups help HabiJax. The Episcopal Church of Our Saviour has helped since 1994. Their teams work on several homes each year.
Even U.S. Navy sailors volunteer when their ship is in port. For example, between 10 and 20 sailors from the USS Gettysburg (CG-64) would work on a building site every Thursday. They would do whatever was needed to help.
Fairway Oaks Community
The Jimmy Carter Work Project helped build the Fairway Oaks community. This project built 85 new family homes in just 17 days! In September 2000, many people joined in. These included the Northeast Florida Builders Association and 10,000 volunteers. Former President Carter and his wife Rosalynn were there. So were other important people like former HUD Secretary Jack Kemp and Habitat founders Linda and Millard Fuller.
Superbuild Event
In 2005, when the Super Bowl XXXIX was in Jacksonville, HabiJax held a special event called Superbuild. They built 39 houses during the NFL football season. The very last home, number 39, was built in just 39 working hours!
Downtown Jacksonville Project
New Town is an old neighborhood in downtown Jacksonville. By the end of the 1900s, many parts of it were falling apart. In 2008, Jacksonville's mayor and others started the New Town Success Zone. This program helps children in the neighborhood with many social and educational programs. In 2012, a HabiJax home was finished and decorated by a local designer. It was a model to show how the neighborhood could be made new again. This project built over 100 new homes and was finished in 2012.
Tiny Houses
HabiJax started building tiny houses in mid-2020. They planned a community of fifty homes that were about 500–600-square-foot (46–56 m2) in size. This project was in the Lackawanna neighborhood of Jacksonville. A charity helped pay for it.
Building started in January 2021 and was expected to finish in three months. These houses are different because they will be rented to one or two people. They will come with furniture, appliances, and internet. This is a new way for HabiJax to help people find affordable places to live.
ReStore Shops
Habitat ReStores are special shops that sell new and used building materials and things for the home. These items are given by small businesses, big companies, and people.
In 2008, HabiJax opened a ReStore. The items there cost 40% to 70% less than regular shops. The money made from ReStores helps build more houses in the community. The first ReStore was so successful that HabiJax opened a second one. In 2021, these stores sold almost $2 million worth of goods.
The stores are about 38,000-square-foot (3,500 m2) in size. They have a few full-time workers but mostly rely on volunteers. When donations arrive, volunteers check them, clean them, and put them on the shelves. Habitat for Humanity says that many ReStores help pay for the daily costs of the local Habitat groups. This means that all the money given by donors can go directly to building and fixing homes.
New York City Habitat
Habitat for Humanity New York City and Westchester County (Habitat NYC and Westchester) started in 1984. It helps families in New York City by building and keeping homes in good shape. Their very first building was on the Lower East Side. This was part of the first-ever Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. This building had 19 homes and was finished in December 1986.
In 1995, four different Habitat groups in New York City joined together to form one group: Habitat NYC. In 2020, this group started working in Westchester County too, becoming Habitat NYC and Westchester.
Other Special Projects
Habitat Bicycle Challenge
The Habitat Bicycle Challenge (HBC) was a special bicycle trip. It lasted nine weeks and went from one side of the U.S. to the other. The goal was to raise money for Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven and to tell more people about Habitat. This challenge happened every year from 1995 to 2007.
Before the trip, participants spent seven months raising money. Once they started riding, they told everyone about Habitat. They also gave talks to the groups that hosted them each night, often churches. They even helped build homes with local Habitat groups along their way.
At its busiest, about 90 young people, aged 18 to 24, joined the challenge each year. About half of them were from Yale University. Each rider chose one of three routes, all starting in New Haven and ending on the West Coast. By 2004, the HBC was the biggest yearly fundraiser for any Habitat group in the world, raising about $400,000 a year. However, due to various reasons, the challenge was stopped in September 2007.
See also
In Spanish: Hábitat para la Humanidad para niños
- Architecture for Humanity
