Habitat For Humanity Research Paper

Habitat for Humanity has been around for almost fifty years. In that time, they have built hundreds of thousands of homes for people in need. The organization was first founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller. Once they saw conditions people lived in, they wanted to follow the Christian values and assist them in getting homes. Habitat for Humanity is focused on those in need of decent shelters, and the people in need work with volunteers to make that happen. The houses are built at no profit, and are funded through donations, loans, and fundraisers. The organization has even been brought to developing countries, and assisted those living in horrible conditions. (The History of Habitat). Habitat for Humanity is a worldwide organizations …show more content…
48.5 million of those people live in the United States. (Why Habitat for Humanity Is Needed). Forty-seven percent of adults have lived in unstable housing at some point in their lives. Fifty-eight percent of families of four with an income of around $50,000 will have trouble finding a stable home environment. (Affordable Quality Housing Statistics and How Habitat Is Helping). Habitat is not only building homes, but renovating other buildings to make them livable. These conditions that the people are forced to live bring not only deteriorating health, but a loss of one's pride and dignity as well. It can be surprising how much confidence owning a home will give a person. If you own a home, then it means that you are able to provide for your family and keep them secure. When one lives in poverty, they lose their sense of self-worth. If they cannot provide and protect, then what are they? Fifty percent of the individuals after having their home built have planned to start a higher education program. Ninety-one percent of the homeowners feel better about the security of their future. (Ashville Homeless Network). Habitat for Humanity gives that confidence back to an individual by assisting the right amount, while giving the individual the chance to provide …show more content…
In that time, I have gotten to know many employees, other volunteers, and specifically some of the future homeowners. The future homeowners are required to do about 200-400 hours worth of volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, whether it be helping to build the homes or assisting at a restore. In 2011, there were over 24,000 volunteer hours completed. (Ashville Homeless Network). When someone applies for a home to be built for them, there are requirements before they can be accepted. For the state of Arizona, these are a few of them; There must be a need for the housing such as lack of safe conditions or overcrowding. The household annual income needs to be between thirty to sixty percent of the Maricopa and Pinal County area median income. Along with that, they need to have a two year history of stable income for their household, and good credit history. (Qualifying for a Home). The future homeowners do not