What Is Habitat for Humanity International?
How Does the Habitat “No Profit, No Interest” Housing Work?
How Does the Partnership With Homeowners Work?
How Are Would-Be Partner Families Selected?
Who Runs Habitat For Humanity International?
How are Donations Distributed and Used?
How Does An Affiliate Get Started?
How Can I Become a Volunteer?
How Else Can I Help?

What Is Habitat for Humanity International?

Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. Founded in 1976 by Millard Fuller, HFHI seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.

Habitat works with people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need.

Habitat has built more than 165,000 houses, providing more than 825,000 people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter. It has a presence in nearly 100 countries and territories.

Habitat’s headquarters, located in Americus, Georgia, USA, provides information, training and a variety of other support services to Habitat offices and affiliates worldwide.

How Does the Habitat “No Profit, No Interest” Housing Work?

Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner (known as “partner”) families.

Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest mortgage loans. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments go into a revolving fund and are used to build still more Habitat houses.

Habitat carries out its work though affiliates -- independent, locally run, nonprofit organizations community level groups. Each affiliate coordinates all aspects of Habitat home building in its local area -- fund raising, building site selection, partner family selection and support, house construction and mortgage servicing. Some affiliates also receive funding loans and grants from Habitat For Humanity International.

Habitat is not a “giveaway” program. In addition to a down payment and the monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor -- sweat equity -- into building their Habitat house and the houses of others.

How Does the Partnership With Homeowners Work?

Habitat is not a “giveaway” program, but a partnership in which those who benefit. Each homeowner family is required to invest 500 hours of "sweat equity" into the construction of their home or the Habitat program. This allows homeowners to work along side other volunteers, increasing the pride of ownership among family members and fostering the development of positive relationships within a community.

How Are Would-Be Partner Families Selected?

Families in need of decent shelter apply to a local Habitat affiliate. The affiliate’s family selection committee chooses homeowners based on their level of need, their ability to repay the loan and their willingness to work in partnership with Habitat.

Affiliates follow a non-discriminatory policy of family selection. Neither race nor religion is a factor in choosing the families to become Habitat homeowners.

Who Runs Habitat For Humanity International?

An international board of directors determines policy, and oversees and guides the Habitat’s mission. Board members are volunteers who are dedicated to tackling poverty housing around the world.

Each affiliate and national office is managed by its own local volunteer board. A national board operates in a covenant relationship with HFHI and with each Habitat affiliate it supports.

HFHI Area offices, in Bangkok, Budapest and Cape Town, along with the headquarters in Americus, Georgia, USA, operate an administrative staff, assisted by professional and support employees, and supplemented by long- and short-term volunteers.

How are Donations Distributed and Used?

Habitat For Humanity International accepts undesignated and designated donations in money, and in kind or gifts. Undesignated gifts are used where needed. Donations are distributed as designated by the donor. 100% of donations from the public are used to provide decent homes for those in need.

Established affiliates are encouraged to tithe ten per cent of their income to support Habitat programs in other countries. Habitat New Zealand, for example, encourages affiliates to build a “House for a House”: for every house built in New Zealand, a house is built in Fiji.

Audited financial statements are available.

How Does An Affiliate Get Started?

Habitat for Humanity is a grass-roots movement. Anyone who wants to explore the possibility of eliminating poverty housing in his or her community is encouraged to contact Habitat's National Office for information.

How Can I Become a Volunteer?

To volunteer, contact your local Habitat affiliate or national office. Or contact the Asia-Pacific office.

How Else Can I Help?

Get involved! Pray for the work of Habitat For Humanity International. Join a Habitat “build”. Volunteer for a Global Village trip. Participate in a Habitat fund-raising event. Contribute financially – a gift or a no-interest loan -- to HFHI or your local Habitat affiliate. Encourage your employer to donate funds, building materials or labor, or provide a no-interest loan. Contact your Habitat national office and arrange a speaker for audiences to visit your friends, your company, your civic group, your church. And Habitat affiliates need people to help construct homes, to serve on committees and to spread the word.