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| In Detroit, volunteers finish up a Habitat house's vinyl siding, a popular exterior because it goes on quickly and requires little maintenance. Volunteers from the Vinyl Siding Institute were on hand to demonstrate proper installation techniques. |
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Throughout Michigan, 62 affiliates built 232 houses as part of the 2005 Jimmy Carter Work Project, and six houses were built in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In Benton Harbor and Detroit, 50 houses rose from foundation to rooftop in just one week in June.
This project never could have happened without the generous support of numberous volunteers and other partners, not the least of whom were event sponsors Lowe's, Whirlpool, The Dow Chemical Co., Masco Corp., Great Lakes Capital Fund, DIY (Do-It-Yourself cable network) and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. As new Habitat houses grew daily beside the existing housing stock, hope also grew.
"Our folks (Habitat homeowners) are going to be driving change in the neighborhood," Harbor Habitat for Humanity execituve drector Mike Green says. "It's much more than homes. In Benton Harbor it's about empowerment and change and the future."
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| An expanded partnership between Thrivent Financial and HFH will enable many more families to enjoy the stability of decent, affordable housing. |
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by Donald Bonin
When Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decided to expand its relationship with Habitat for Humanity, one of its primary goals was to engage Thrivent members--Lutherans and their communities--to help eliminate substandard housing. Of course, that is no small task.
To fill such a tall order required a big solution. And it doesn't get much bigger than an 18-wheel mobile traveling exhibit. The Mobile Education Unit is essentially a mini museum on wheels. Using stunning visual displays, the exhibit tells the story of substandard housing in the United States today and encourages people to get involved in the solution that Habitat for Humanity offers with support from Thrivent Financial.
The MEU hits the road in September and will be traveling across the United States over the next three years. It's part of a much larger initiative by Thrivent Financial entitled "Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity." Among the program's goals is a plan to build 500 additional houses each year, and the overall relationship promises to be the largest single homebuilding and fund-raising effort in Habitat's 30-year history.
"For 14 years, Thrivent Financial has joined us in our mission to change lives by building affordable homes with families in need," said Paul Leonard, former chief executive officer for Habitat for Humanity International. "Now, the MEU adds a new dimension of education and evangelization to this extraordinary effort. We are ecstatic with Thrivent Financial's desire to help us spread Habitat's message."
"Thousands of our members know of and support the work of Habitat," said Bruce Nicholson, president and chief executive officer for Thrivent Financial. "Among our goals for the MEU, we want to recognize their work, but also educate and engage an ever-larger number of people in support of Habitat for Humanity's mission to bring houses and hope to families in desperate need of both."
You can learn more about the MEU and when it might be rolling into your town by visiting www.thriventbuilds.com.
--Donald Bonin, MEU project coordinator
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Who We Are
Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit Christian housing ministry that works both to eliminate poverty housing around the world and to make adequate housing a matter of conscience and action.
What We Do
Local Habitat for Humanity affiliates build and renovate houses in partnership with people in need, and then sell the houses to the homeowner partners. Homeowners are selected by local affiliates based on their need for housing, ability to repay a no-profit, no-interest mortgage and willingness to partner with Habitat by investing "sweat-equity" hours into the construction of their houses and others'. Mortgage payments contribute to a Fund for Humanity, which provides the money to build more houses. Because of Habitat's no-profit, no-interest loans, and because the houses are principally built with volunteer labor, mortgage payments are affordable for low-income partners.
Where We Work
Habitat for Humanity started in the United States in 1976, but today its work reaches around the world. Currently, more than 2,300 affiliates are at work in all 50 states of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Territory of Guam, and 99 other countries..
HFHI Affiliate Countries
Afghanistan | Angola | Argentina | Armenia | Australia | Bangladesh | Belize | Bermuda | Bolivia | Botswana | Brazil | Bulgaria | Burundi | Cambodia | Cameroon | Canada | Cayman Islands | Chile | China | Côte d'Ivoire | Colombia | Costa Rica | Democratic Republic of Congo | Dominican Republic | East Timor | Ecuador | Egypt | El Salvador | Ethiopia | Fiji | Ghana | Great Britain | Guatemala | Guyana | Haiti | Honduras | Hungary | India | Indonesia | Jamaica | Jordan | Kenya | Kyrgyzstan | Laos | Lebanon | Lesotho | Madagascar | Malawi | Macedonia | Malaysia | Mexico | Micronesia | Mongolia | Mozambique | Myanmar | Nepal | New Zealand | Nicaragua | Nigeria | Northern Ireland | Panama | Pakistan | Papua New Guinea | Paraguay | Philippines | Poland | Portugal | Republic of Ireland | Republic of Korea | Romania | Russia | Rwanda | Samoa | Senegal | Sierra Leone | Slovakia | Solomon Islands | South Africa | Sri Lanka | Suriname | Tajikistan | Tanzania | Thailand | Trinidad and Tobago | Turkey | Uganda | United States, Territory of Guam and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico | Vanuatu | Vietnam | Zambia |
You Can Help
Volunteers fill key roles in Habitat for Humanity's work, both on the construction site and in other positions such as family selection and support, fund raising and advocacy. For more information about becoming involved with Habitat for Humanity, please contact us at 121 Habitat St., Americus, GA 31709.
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