Case Studies -- Habitat for Humanity Int'l 1
Case Studies
HFHU is a hub for case-study learning throughout the Habitat for Humanity movement. It accomplishes this in three ways:
1. HFHU hosts case-study discussions facilitated by leaders from various areas of Habitat for Humanity as well as leaders from other organizations. These sessions are held at Habitat locales around the world.
2. HFHU holds trainings in effective case-study facilitation.
3. HFHU collaborates with Habitat staff and volunteers to collect promising scenarios and to identify opportunities worthy of full case-study documentation. In the latter situation, HFHU enlists interns, fellows and faculty of leading graduate schools around the world.
Some value comes from simply reading the case; however, case studies are best utilized as a basis for discussion. Contact HFHU for more information about how you might use a case study as an educational opportunity, whether as an independent event, as a session in a conference, or as a preparatory exercise at a board planning/retreat.
Listed below are the case studies currently available through HFHU. You may download case studies free of charge.
Title
|
Abstract
|
Greater Cape Falls HFH: Building on a History of Growth
|
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cape Falls has been affiliated with Habitat for Humanity International since October 1988. Serving eight counties, the affiliate’s service area includes over 3,800 square miles. The affiliate has a history of growth — it started rehabilitating two homes per year and has consistently increased house production since affiliation. In 2003, the affiliate completed 16 homes. In March 2004, Nancy Davis was hired to fill the executive director (ED) position that had been vacated the previous October. Five months into the job, Nancy was beginning to fully understand some of the challenges of moving what she considered to be an understaffed, overworked grassroots organization toward a goal-oriented provider of low-income housing.
|
East Bay HFH: Revitalizing Sobrante Park
|
East Bay Habitat for Humanity, headquartered in Oakland, Calif., recently hired Michael Cross into the position of Community Development Specialist. When Michael started in that role in January 2003, he was tasked with defining what community development meant to East Bay HFH. After nearly two years of working to empower members of the community, particularly Habitat’s partner families in a 40-unit development within the Sobrante Park neighborhood, Michael organized his thoughts. At the October 2004 board of directors meeting, Michael presented a concept paper outlining a resident-based community development approach that EBHFH could use to guide its upcoming 26-unit development in Sobrante Park, as well as other neighborhoods in need of revitalization.
|
Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity
|
Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity, with an office in Brainerd, Minn., is based in a town of under 15,000 people and serves two counties in rural Minnesota. Kevin Pelkey has been the executive director for over seven years and is highly regarded by the board of directors. In the last several years, the affiliate’s house production has consistently been five to six houses despite the affiliate’s annual intent to build more. They see the great need for affordable housing in their community and know that the need is rapidly increasing. Over the last year, LAHFH has engaged a consultant to lead the organization through a strategic planning process that included a community assessment. Now the organization is facing several key questions regarding the execution of the new plan.
|
Habitat for Humanity in Slovakia: The Roma of Svinia
|
In 2000, Habitat sent two staff to Slovakia to coordinate an experimental partnership model, as the housing component of the four-year-old Svinia Project. Severe racial tensions exist between the ethnic Slovacs and the Roma. The goal of the project is the redevelopment of Svinia’s Roma settlement, including infrastructure, employment, services, and housing. From the beginning, the challenges faced by this project were enormous as programs that sought to work with Roma have historically been unsuccessful and as the program faced numerous setbacks. After almost two years of grass-roots community development work by HFH staff, the success of the housing portion of the project hinges on the outcome of upcoming municipal elections. By the end of the case, HFH staff must reassess the challenges faced by Habitat and offer options on how Habitat can continue on in its work with the Roma.
|
|