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When Washington, DC resident Kendra James* became pregnant, she needed a reliable place to live and signed up for a government housing program. Her daughter turned 13 this year, and Kendra is still on that waiting list. She won’t have to wait any longer, though—Kendra closes this month on a house of her own. Kendra is a homebuyer through Habitat for Humanity, the well-known international nonprofit that seeks to eliminate homelessness and poverty housing—private or government-owned complexes that do not meet basic shelter needs. “I never thought of housing as an issue,” says Nancy Eddy, Volunteer Coordinator for DC Habitat for Humanity, Habitat’s Washington affiliate, “but when you see the conditions under which some people live….” Vermin, leaking pipes, and lack of utilities are all-too-common features of poverty housing. Meanwhile, in DC alone 80,000 families like Kendra’s sit on the waiting list for government housing.

Habitat strives to break this frustrating cycle by making home ownership a reality. As Eddy puts it, “Some nonprofits hand out—what we do is give folks a hand up… We are helping people who are willing to put in the energy.”Rather than give homes to homeless families, Habitat partners with selected applicants to help them purchase a house built by volunteers. Families learn about the financial processes involved, attend homeownership classes and help to build the house they are purchasing.

What can you do to help?
According to Eddy, the greatest need of local affiliates is cash for building supplies. While volunteering to do the labor is fun and rewarding, it is far more popular than a simple donation. Despite the big name, Habitat is no more overflowing with funds than any other nonprofit. Tax-deductible donations provide vital funding for materials, subcontractors and land purchases. It’s an expensive nonprofit to run, requiring for example about $173,000 up-front to build each house in DC. The home buying process allows owners to purchase the home below cost and with no interest, so money for more affordable housing comes back to Habitat very slowly. Regional affiliates, which operate like small individual nonprofits, simply don’t have the revenue to pay for the houses in advance, so depend heavily on donations for help. Eddy stresses the importance of giving directly to your local affiliate.

If you’re looking for more ways to get involved, Eddy points out that there are numerous non-construction volunteer opportunities. Contact your local affiliate to join the committee on environmentally friendly building, help select families for the program, partner to assist in the homeownership process or work on public relations. Why not talk to your employer about sponsoring a holiday service project? Working on a local Habitat house is a great team-building exercise, and allows you to volunteer on work time. You’ll be picking up the slack during the cold weather, when fewer are willing to volunteer. Jeslyn MacClary of Arlington, Virginia, volunteered on a recent build. “The thing that was awesome to me was that [Habitat staff] could have so much fun and joke around, but they could also say, ‘ok, now let’s get this done.’” DC resident Michelle Scism enjoyed the chance to get her hands dirty. “It’s great to be able to really work for something.”

An amazing cultural experience
Overall, says Eddy, “what’s fascinating about Habitat is that it brings together people from different worlds who wouldn’t normally interact.” An accountant on an office trip might work side by side with the homeowner. A recent immigrant in a job training program might be working next to a student learning construction skills and working towards her GED. “It’s an amazing cultural experience,” says Eddy. Sometimes, she says, the experience of working together with people from varied backgrounds is more powerful than what was built that day.

Everyone should have a home during the holidays—which makes this a particularly poignant time for new homeowners. One of the DC homeowners closing this month is excited to have Christmas at her house this year—the first time she has ever been able to do so. “She’s never had that before—it’s something really special to her,” says Eddy. Whether you donate money to purchase materials for a house in your own community, apply your business skills to a fundraising committee or recruit your colleagues to spend the day swinging a hammer, Habitat has a way for you to help put a roof over the heads of a well-deserving family this holiday season. Just in time for them to deck the halls.

*Not her real name.
Resource: Find information about your local affiliate by looking it up at habitat.org

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