Habitat for
Humanity local affiliate was established in 1996, and is governed by an
international, ecumenical Christian housing ministry, working in
partnership with people in need to improve the conditions in which they
live. Habitat challenges people of compassion to provide the initial
capital through gifts and no interest loans to build simple, decent
homes with the inadequately sheltered. Houses are sold at no profit,
with no-interest mortgages repaid over a 15-25 year period. The house
payments are recycled to build more houses through a local Fund for
Humanity.
All
Habitat affiliate building programs are governed by a local, ecumenical Habitat
committee or board of directors that sets up a nondiscriminatory family
selection process. Habitat relies heavily on volunteers for construction and
administration in all its building. The work is a cooperative effort between
volunteers and new home buyers who contribute labor to build their house. In
seeking to build up both the tangible and the spiritual aspects of a community,
Habitat proclaims the love of Christ in word and deed and aims always to glorify
God.
Millard
Fuller founded Habitat for Humanity International in 1976. His purpose for the
organization is this "Everyone who gets sleepy at night ought to have a decent
place to sleep, on terms they can afford to pay." Over the past twenty years
Habitat for Humanity affiliates around the world have provided shelter to
hundreds of thousands of people.