At this time last year, my daughter-in-law and I had just returned from building houses in Brazil through Habitat International. What we had built were very basic accommodations that were luxurious to the women and their families who would be occupying them.

Many people assume that Habitat for Humanity was started by Jimmy Carter. That is an urban myth that was created when Jimmy and Roselyn got involved in the organization. Habitat began in Americus, Georgia, in 1942 as a self-sustaining Christian community with the concept of partnership housing – enabling low-income families to build their own homes with the help of neighbors, volunteers and a no-profit mortgage.

Habitat’s goal was to eliminate substandard housing and make real the dream of safe, decent shelter for everyone on earth. This past fall, Habitat celebrated its 500,000th house, helping bring more than 2.5 million people home.

With the success of this organization and the very low default rate of the owners, maybe our banks should take a look at this business model and see that it pays to lend a hand to help people afford a secure home and stay in it.

Happy Holidays to all, and thank you, Habitat for Humanity.

Posted by:  Judy LeMarr