Athens Habitat has almost two decades of building success

Although former President Jimmy Carter is credited with bringing untold attention to the organization, Habitat for Humanity International was actually founded in 1976 on Koinonia Farm in Americus, Ga. by Millard Fuller (see related articles in this special section).

Athens County Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1990 after a group of inspired local citizens heard President Carter speak about Habitat. In 1991, ACHFH renovated its first home. In the 18 years since, the local organization has completed 23 homes in Athens County and is currently working on the 24th.

Habitat for Humanity's success is based on the belief that everyone, everywhere deserves a simple, decent place to live. In Athens County, people from all walks of life come together to help eliminate substandard housing in our community. Being part of Habitat is about more then building houses; it's about reaching out to our neighbors in need and helping them build not just a house, but their dreams for a brighter future.

There are several ways that Habitat ensures that this new home is a hand up, not a handout, and that the new homeowners get the most out of their partnership. First, once a Habitat partner family is selected, we help prepare them for homeownership through a series of comprehensive, interactive workshops where they learn about basic home maintenance and repair, how to manage their finances, and how to protect their new asset.

At the same time, members of the partner family begin to work in the Habitat office and on the construction sites of other partner families in order to earn the "sweat equity" hours required by our program. A family of two adults and two children is required to perform a minimum of 450 hours of sweat equity/labor before they can move into their home.

Finally, Habitat partner families become homeowners; they purchase their homes. Habitat builds these homes at no profit, financing them with zero-interest mortgages. Athens County Habitat services the mortgages on all of our homes. As families pay off their mortgages, the money is recycled to build more homes. Our homeowners become those who now give the hand-up to the next family.

It is a common misconception that Habitat homeowners are all recipients of government assistance programs, but actually Habitat families are expected to purchase their homes. They must have a modest income enabling them to make mortgage payments. Big Lots, Kroger, Ohio University, Tri-County Community Action, Buckeye Rural Health, and the U.S. Post Office are a few of the local entities that employ Habitat homeowners.

Although certainly Habitat offers a great service to the families we partner with, benefits to our volunteers are immeasurable. University students, community members and retirees share the same mission. Our "Women Raise the Roof" coalition empowers women to do work traditionally reserved for men. Women participating in these builds come away with a great sense of accomplishment and camaraderie. The "Faith Build" Coalition allows people from a variety of religious identities to come together for a common objective "“ helping others.

Habitat benefits the local community as well. Our homes are well built with some property values having risen over 300 percent in the neighborhoods where they are located. Habitat homeowners are property taxpayers, too. The biggest benefit to the community, however, may be the feelings people come away with after being part of an organization that spans generations, gender and religion. Habitat offers an opportunity to make a tangible difference in our community.

Athens County Habitat for Humanity has an annual budget of approximately $300,000, the majority of which is spent on house construction. These are dollars invested the local economy. Most of this funding comes from neighbors helping neighbors - contributions from individuals and businesses in Athens County. However our "community" extends beyond southeast Ohio in that ACHFH contributes 10 percent of its income to Habitat International. For every home built in Athens County, this contribution enables the building of another home somewhere else in the world.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offers assistance to families below 30 percent of the median income for our area. However, families earning between 30 percent and 60 percent have few places to turn for the assistance they need, except Habitat for Humanity. Our organization provides an opportunity for these families to acquire a decent home, breaking the cycle of substandard housing. It is a simple concept of people reaching out to help others... a concept that had it roots in a farm in Georgia, but now, thanks to an inspired experience of one couple "“ Millard and Linda Fuller "“ has spread around the world.