Jonathan Reckford
Chief Executive Officer

This year marks 50 years of Habitat for Humanity — five decades of faith in action, shared vision and lives transformed. As we celebrate this historic milestone, I am struck by the sheer scale of what God’s grace and your partnership have unlocked.  

You have been the heartbeat of this mission every single step of the way, turning a small, local vision into a vast global movement. Because of your unwavering support and partnership, we’ve helped more than 65 million people build or improve the place they call home. 

Building at this scale over the past five decades has taught us a lot. Every single home we build matters deeply, and construction will always be at the core of who we are. But long ago, we realized a sobering truth: We cannot simply hammer our way out of the housing crisis. Having traveled the world to work alongside and be in conversation with experts; sector actors; and people simply trying to secure a decent, affordable place to live, I can tell you that the gap is too wide and the need is too urgent. We’ve realized through the years that we had to start building in even more ways to fix the dynamics that keep people locked out of safe housing. 

To pave the way for better housing, we work to change the enabling environment and address the housing policies that create obstacles to homeownership. Today, across the U.S., we have achieved more than 400 policy successes that unlock land, expand housing investments and reform restrictive zoning laws. Globally, we partner with residents in informal settlements to accelerate locally led advocacy, ensuring communities can improve their own living conditions. 

But better policies only work when families have the financial tools to use them. That is why we have grown our MicroBuild® Initiative, expanding training and funding for local lenders around the world and helping families access small loans to build their homes incrementally. It’s also why we are driving financial innovation in the U.S. To solve for rising land and construction costs, we’ve created Habitat Capital, providing low-cost funding to help Habitat affiliates secure properties, scale construction and build more homes. 

We have spent five decades proving that these models work. We know they change lives, we know they scale, and we know they create opportunity that changes the trajectory of families’ lives for generations. Now Habitat enters our next chapter with the momentum and the capacity to scale like never before. 

That is why we have set a bold, ambitious new goal: helping 50 million people in the next three years access affordable housing. This is a massive undertaking, but the urgency of the housing crisis demands nothing less. 

We are ready to meet this moment. Decades of local lessons, continuous innovation and a deeply rooted global network have prepared us to adapt to today’s changing realities. And as we move forward, we are intentionally growing that network, bringing new partners, advocates and communities into the fold to power our global movement. 

For the next 50 years, together, we are building not only with our hammers, but also with our voices, our vision and our innovation as we work toward a future where everyone has a decent place to call home. 

We need your continued partnership as we take this ambitious new leap. Thank you for your steadfast support. You’ve brought us to this moment, and I can’t wait to see what we achieve together next.