Country Facts:
- Capital city – Budapest
- Population – 9.7 million
- Life expectancy – 76.7 years
- Unemployment rate – 3.5%
- Below poverty line – 12.4%
Find more country facts on: CIA The World Factbook – Hungary
Habitat Facts
- Habitat started in Hungary in 1996.
- Individuals served in FY2019 – 230
- Through rehabs – 30
- Through market development – 100
- Through civil society facilitation – 100
- Volunteers hosted in FY2019 – 347
The housing need in Hungary
Habitat for Humanity has been serving families in Hungary since 1996. About 33 percent of Hungary’s population is challenged by the threat of poor living conditions and social marginalization. While the number of people living in poor conditions grows constantly, incomes are further polarizing. Housing costs are an ever-growing burden for families. Many lose their homes because they are unable to meet expenses.
Our goal is to see everyone live in decent housing that allows them to live a healthy and active life. Through affordable, quality building materials; volunteer labor and trainings, we help families and communities make a difference in their housing conditions. We have also been working on advocacy for many years to achieve fair and inclusive housing policies.
How Habitat addresses the need
Second Chance program
Scarcity of affordable housing is an enormous problem in Hungary. There are around 200,000 to 300,000 families in need of low-cost rental housing. Around 50,000 of these families are in severe housing crisis and on the edge of homelessness. These families are forced to live either with relatives or friends without knowing how long they can stay, or in housing with insecure tenure, or in temporary homes. Our Second Chance program helps families living in temporary shelters to move into affordable rentals, and includes social-work care and services.
Támasz, or Support, program
Habitat Hungary receives many requests from people whose housing conditions unexpectedly deteriorated. Our Támasz, or Support, program seeks to provide rapid solutions for these crises in forms of smaller support, such as building material, volunteer work or minor reparations.
Annual report on housing
Habitat Hungary publishes annual reports on various housing issues in Hungary. The aim is to provide regular accounts on the status and trends in housing, and to analyze annually how and to what extent each year’s policies have contributed to these results. Our aim is to elevate the issue of housing into a proper position in public discourse, and to support the development of fair and inclusive housing policies.
Meet a Habitat family
Ibolya, a young mother of four, used to live in a rental in the capital city of Budapest. She is currently working as a radiology assistant at a hospital. Her eldest son, Balázs, is a high school student and intends to be a police officer. The elder daughter, Dóri, wants to study veterinary medicine, and the younger siblings, Gergő and Zselyke attend elementary school. When the flat they used to live in was sold, Ibolya had to realize that her income is not enough for a new home. She applied for a social rental at the local municipality and the family was recommended to get in Habitat’s Second Chance program. With the help of Hungarian and international volunteers, Habitat renovated the social rental they received and the family was able to move in by Christmas.
What you can do
DONATE
To donate directly to Habitat for Humanity Hungary, please contact us to learn more. www.habitat.hu
VOLUNTEER
Join one of the scheduled Global Village trips to Hungary or lead your own. Contact Kinga Albert at [email protected] to learn more.
TITHE
All affiliate tithe gifts are sent internationally to serve families outside of the United States. To support the work of Habitat HUNGARY, please send your tithe to: Habitat for Humanity International P.O. Box 6598 Americus, GA 31709-3498
CONTACT
To learn more about Habitat projects in Hungary or in other parts of the region, please contact Kinga Albert, Habitat Hungary volunteer and partnerships manager, at [email protected] or Katerina Bezgachina, Habitat Europe, Middle East and Africa communications director, at [email protected].
