"What is Habitat for Humanity?" Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization that helps provide cheap, affordable housing for families that need it. It is a Christian organization trying to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness. It does not discriminate and accepts people of all races and religions. This organization has become very influential due to its history and it has affiliates around the world.
The History of Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller. Since creation Habitat has built and rehabilitated over 100,000 houses. The idea of Habitat was born at Koinonia Farm. Koinonia Farm is a small, interracial, Christian farming community in Georgia. The Fullers were a successful family. But in 1965 they moved to Koinonia Farm to leave an affluent lifestyle to start a new Christian life. There the Fullers met Clarence Jordan the founder of Koinonia Farm and biblical scholar. That is when Fuller and Jordan developed the idea of partnership housing. That is people in need of a home would work side by side with volunteers to build simple houses. This is where the idea for Habitat was born. The houses would be built for nonprofit or interest. Building the homes would be funded by a fund for humanity. The money for the fund would come from payments, donations, and money earned from fundraising. In 1968 Koinonia set aside forty-two half-acre house sites with four acres reserved as a community house. They received donations from around the country. The Fullers later started building homes in developing countries, like they did in Zaire in 1973.
How does it work and what are the costs.
Volunteers and donations of money and materials make it all possible. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at a no profit and no interest loans. The monthly mortgage payments are used to build more habitat houses. But the homes are not a handout.