Every year, Habitat for Humanity improves the living conditions of more than 3 million people around the world.
Newly renovated Habitat home on Dublin Street in Athens, GA
Even for folks who are involved with their local Habitat for Humanity affiliate, it’s easy to forget just how much work Habitat does around the world. Here at Athens Area Habitat, we’re wrapping up the multi-year neighborhood renovation project on Magnolia Terrace, and over the past year we’ve renovated two homes — one on Dublin Street and another on Hawthorne Extension — with the help of Thrivent Financial and our Committe of 1000, and we’ve installed handicap ramps and made emergency home repairs across our service area. Funds raised at our April birdhouse auction have created a transitional housing unit for the Interfaith Hospitality Network which will serve to move many families out of homelessness in the coming years. And we’ve co-sponsored a “Kinda Tiny” home design contest, with the winning designs scheduled to be constructed in 2019.
That’s a lot for one little Habitat affiliate. But I’ll bet you didn’t know that Habitat for Humanity International is working to secure land rights for millions of people worldwide, in addition to the millions helped directly to build homes of their own.
A new Habitat home in Nepal
On this World Habitat Day, we’re recognizing Habitat for Humanity’s Solid Ground global advocacy campaign, created by Habitat to increase access to land for housing for 10 million people around the world who lack documentation to the land they own or face barriers to purchasing land to build a home on, as well as funding the renovation of slums into decent housing and improving disaster resilience so that vulnerable populations aren’t left homeless after disaster strikes.
“Every one of us deserves the opportunity for a better future… A decent place to live can remove barriers to opportunity, health, and success that might have been part of a family’s life for years, and in many cases for generations.”
Habitat’s Solid Ground initiative seeks to transform slums like this one in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, into safe, clean homes.
Although Habitat for Humanity, together with our partners and people like you, has already helped millions to access decent housing through changing land policies in nations across the globe, we still haven’t yet realized our vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. You can help simply by adding your voice to the Solid Ground international petition, which puts pressure on governments to recognize the land rights of local populations and remove barriers to purchasing land for housing. You have the power to change lives — by using your voice to improve access to safe and secure land, you can help create the foundation for a brighter future for people around the world.
“Seventy-five percent of people globally lack the proper documentation to the land on which they live. Millions live in constant fear of eviction. With secure tenure, people can invest more in their families, their communities, and their futures.
Future homeowner works with volunteers to construct a home in Kuching, Malaysia
One out of every 7 people on the planet lives in a slum. By 2030, the global slum population is expected to double to 2 billion. Slum upgrading means improving living conditions of informal settlements in a responsible manner, providing access to decent housing in the short term and the long term.”
Solid Ground is already working around the world to raise people out of poverty through shelter. If you would like to help with this critical task, simply follow the links below to learn more about the program, or to add your voice to the Solid Ground international petition:
If you’re not already a supporter of Athens Area Habitat, we’d also like to invite you to get involved locally. World Habitat Day kicks off our annual fund campaign, which provides critical funding for new home construction, home renovations, multi-family housing renovations, home handicap ramps, emergency home repairs, and innovative ideas for low-cost housing right here in Clarke, Oconee, and Oglethorpe Counties in Georgia.
If you haven’t already donated, consider becoming a member of the 2018-19 Committee of 1000 today — with a donation of as little as $80, you could help transform the lives of neighbors in need while also helping to revitalize abandoned neighborhoods, reduce blight, and stabilize property values in our community. To join, simply click the “Donate Now” button below. Or learn more by reading about what the Committee of 1000 does in our community. And as always, thanks for everything you do to support Habitat.
