You probably thought of three things:  building homes, volunteering, and donating.  These three things are what Habitat focuses on every single day in communities all over the world, but there is more to the story.

What these daily operations are really combating is the affordable housing crisis that exists in our country.

To be considered “affordable,” the home a family is in should cost less than 30% of the family’s income.  In our country, one out of every three families pays more than that 30%.  Furthermore, one out of every six families must put 50% or more of their income toward their home, more than 18 million U.S households!  Due to the hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, even more families are struggling to make ends meet.

Practically, a family paying such high amounts for their home is forced to choose what they can afford.  Should they pay too much for a safe home and access to good schools, but not be able to afford nutritious food or healthcare?

Habitat believes that no family should have to sacrifice necessities in order to afford a home, and we are doing something about it!

Introducing the Cost of Home Advocacy Campaign!

The goal of this campaign is to spark policy change at the local, state, and federal government levels surrounding affordable housing in four areas:

1. Increasing resources for home production through expanding existing resources, creating housing bonds and trust funds, and allowing tax credits for building affordable housing.
2. Pushing for inclusive access to credit by expanding down payment assistance, expanding financial education and housing counseling, and combating predatory lending.
3. Expanding equitable access to land through passing inclusionary housing policies, streamlining land use approvals, and improving zoning ordinances.
4. Building communities of opportunity by expanding home repair/modification assistance, eliminating “Just Cause” eviction laws, and increasing property tax relief for lower-income homeowners.

The scale of the housing needs in our country are beyond the scale of Habitat’s local programs, but with your help, we can fight for a change that will help every family build a solid foundation for their future.

To get involved today, you can start here!