Much to Celebrate; More to Build:
Putting the Milestone Houses in Perspective

• Habitat for Humanity built 100,000 houses with people in need of decent, affordable shelter in its first 24 years; 100,000 more houses have been built in the five years since then. Still, the needs are great.
• While one million people now are living in Habitat homes—and that is “Much to Celebrate”—millions upon millions of people live without adequate shelter – and that leaves “More to Build.”
• Habitat for Humanity and its partners are committed to a world where every man, woman and child has a safe and healthy place to live. Today, Habitat’s efforts—made possible by donations from individuals, churches, corporate partners, foundations and other supporters—result in a family somewhere in the world receiving the key to its new Habitat home every 24 minutes.
• The numbers tell us we need to do more—much more. Consider that:

Worldwide…

• Approximately 100 million people are homeless.
• More than 1 billion people live in inadequate shelter—built out of flimsy materials, without adequate sanitation, with irregular or no electricity and without adequate security.

In India, where Habitat’s 200,001st house is being built as a kickoff to the next 100,000 homes…

• An estimated 67 million people—one fourth of urban residents—live in slums
• More than 60 per cent of the country's estimated 180 million dwellings are temporary or in dilapidated condition.
• Nearly 650,000 people in India were displaced by the December 2004 tsunami.

In the United States…

• More than 33 million people live in poverty. This number reflects a family of four living on $17,850 per year or less.
• Some 95 million Americans face housing problems, approximately one-third of the total U.S. population.
• Of that 95 million, one-third spends more than 30 percent of their income on housing.
• Some 5.1 million American families have "worst-case" housing needs, forced to pay more than half their income for housing, endure overcrowded conditions and/or live in houses with severe physical deficiencies.
• While the number of families in poverty is growing, the number of affordable rental units is shrinking.

In Tennessee, where Habitat’s 200,000th house is being built…

• About 14 percent of the state’s residents lived in poverty in 2003.
• Some 43 percent of renters in Tennessee spent 30 percent or more of household income on housing.

Join us in celebrating completion of 200,000 homes
—and the one million people now living in those houses—
by helping us extend a helping hand to others:
those families still desperately in need
of a simple, decent, affordable place to call home.
You can donate securely on line right now.