It was 1942, and on the outskirts of the rural South Georgia town of Americus, a radical experiment began. Koinonia Farm was the culmination of the lifelong passions of farmer and biblical scholar Clarence Jordan. On that farm, among rows of pecan trees, after years of struggles caused by boycotts and persecution, the seeds for Habitat for Humanity were sown.
Families with low incomes face the double burden of high costs for housing and energy despite the tendency to consume less energy. Offering energy-efficient homes to these households can reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and the homes’ energy costs and resulting energy burden.
The need for global housing is so vast and the issues that surround it are so complex that Habitat works in many ways to partner with families and communities to create sustainable and sweeping change. That’s how we will realize our vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
Huber’s partnership with Habitat includes fully-sponsored home builds in the U.S. and will also expand to include funding for home renovation and educational programs in India, Brazil and Singapore.
The White House’s fiscal year 2020 budget request proposes to eliminate funding for programs that support affordable housing, a move that would worsen the affordable housing shortage facing communities across the United States and the world.
Access to a safe, decent home can transform a life. Samantha is 13 years old and has lived in 13 different places. This last one, she says, is going to stick. “I know I am not going anywhere. And that feels good.”