Habitat for Humanity is an organization that has been around officially for over 30 years. Founded by Millard and Linda Fuller in 1976, Habitat For Humanity International has since built and rehabilitated more than 500,000 houses for families in need and provided shelter for more than 2 million people worldwide.
According to the Habitat for Humanity website, the inspiration for Habitat for Humanity came from Koinonia Farm, which the Fullers first visited in 1965. Koinonia farm was a small interracial Christian farming community founded in 1942 by Clarence Jordan. It’s located outside of Americus, Georgia where Habitat for Humanity headquarters are now located.
While at Koinonia, Jordan and Millard Fuller developed a concept called “partnership housing,” which means that individuals, in need of adequate shelter, work side by side with Habitat volunteers to build affordable, decent housing.
They came up with a plan that the houses would be financed by what is called “a revolving Fund for Humanity.” This means that the money in the fund is used to build new houses, which comes from new homeowner’s mortgage payments, fundraising, donations and no-interest loans provided by supporters. The fund does not give away the money – it is simply a way for people to help those less fortunate than them to build capital.
Habitat for Humanity’s basic model was started in 1968 in Koinonia when 42 half-acre house sites were developed, along with 4 acres reserved for a community park and recreational area. Money was raised from donations made all over the country to finance homes sold to families in need. The donations were no interest loans for the families and provided no profit to the organization because the money was just used to pay for new homes.
In 1973, the Fullers decided to take the Fund for Humanity internationally into developing countries. Their first overseas building site was accomplished after three years of hard work in Mbandaka, Zaire, which is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their goal was to offer affordable and adequate shelter for 2,000 people. Once they established a successful house building program and built affordable shelter for the 2,000 people, the Fullers returned to the U.S.
A few years later, in September 1976, Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) as an organization was officially “born” at a meeting. This meeting consisted of Linda & Millard Fuller and a group of supporters who came together to discuss the future of the couple’s dream. Over the next eight years, “faith, hard work & direction set HFHI on its successful course” proving that “the vision of a housing ministry was workable” according to the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Waterbury website.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter traveled to NYC in 1984, with his wife Rosalynn, for their first Habitat work trip, which was named the Jimmy Carter Work Project. The Carter’s participation in Habitat for Humanity brought national attention to the organization which resulted in a dramatic increase of affiliates across the country.
Thousands of low-income families now have renewed hope thanks to the affordable housing provided by Habitat. Many organizations, such as churches, community groups, and schools, have joined efforts to successfully undertake a major social problem throughout the world –affordable and sufficient housing for everyone.
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