"It's easy to stay stuck, to be stuck in poverty. Some people inherit money, but some people inherit poverty. To think outside of the scope of poverty is hard. So when you have a hand up - what Habitat offers - that hand up turns out to be a different kind of inheritance: hope."
- Jose, who moved into his family's Habitat house when he was 15Because you, me, we – we’re all humans. And every single one of us deserves the opportunity to thrive. Through shelter, we empower.
Housing affects us all – our social well-being, our community’s aesthetic appeal and stability, and our economy. Yet, purchasing affordable housing is out of reach for many working families. More than half of all adults have made at least one trade-off in the past three years to cover their rent or mortgage. Trade-offs include taking a second job, cutting back on healthcare and healthy food, and moving to less safe neighborhoods. (Source: Habitat for Humanity International)
With quality, affordable housing, stability and self-reliance are actually obtainable not merely aspirational. Housing improves educational achievement, encourages responsible citizenship and becomes a wealth-building tool. Homeowners, compared to renters (of same age, income, race, etc.), are less likely to have substance abuse issues and more likely to attend church and join school PTA. The social impact of stable housing on children is significant; they’re less likely to be involved in a teen pregnancy or be on welfare or be idle at age 20, and more likely to graduate from college and be higher wage earners in adulthood. (Source: Habitat for Humanity International)
For more information about our community’s poverty rate, click here, or visit alabamapossible.org.