Genesee Habitat for Humanity

Why Habitat is Needed

The world is experiencing a global housing crisis

Nearly 900 million people around the world live in slums, lacking access to adequate water and sanitation or adequate housing.

By 2025 it is estimated that 1.6 billion people—a fifth of the world’s population—will lack access to secure, adequate, and affordable housing.

In the United States, about 43 million people are living in poverty

Minimum wage is not keeping up with the rising cost of living and many workers struggle to afford decent housing.

More than half of all adults have made at least one tradeoff in the past three years to cover their rent or mortgage. Tradeoffs include taking a second job, cutting back on healthcare and healthy food, and moving to less safe neighborhoods.

No matter who we are or where we come from, we all deserve to have a decent life and an opportunity for a better future

Virtually nowhere in the U.S can a full-time minimum wage employee afford a one-bedroom apartment

A decent place to live and an affordable mortgage allow for

Stability and safety for families and children.

Improved health, stronger childhood development and the ability to make forward looking choices.

An opportunity to save more, invest in education, and more financial stability.

Decent and affordable housing can transform families and communities

​Removes barriers to opportunity, success, education and improved health that might have been part of a family’s life for years, if not generations.

Strong and stable homes help build strong and stable communities.

The cycle of poverty can be broken in a single generation because children are the first ones to benefit from Habitat’s work, which empowers, instills pride and provides stability, security and hope. Every child deserves a stable start in a safe and secure home.

Working together, side by side, promotes understanding and self-reliance