In COVID-19 Habitat Helped More Than 4.2 M People Find Shelter
Habitat's annual report for fiscal year 2021shows how through determination and creativity, the leading global housing nonprofit organization helped more than 4.2 million people build or improve the place they call home. Buoyed by the support of more than a half million volunteers who helped build, advocate and raise awareness about the global need for shelter, families achieved new and better shelter at a time when a healthy home was the first line of defense in the pandemic. The report covers the organization's first full fiscal year (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021) during the COVID-19 pandemic. While many of the organization's traditional activities were affected or curtailed by public health considerations, the network of Habitat affiliates in all 50 states in the U.S., and national programs in more than 70 countries, innovated new ways to execute the mission. For example, the report highlights how through the Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, Habitat accelerated 20 new high-impact shelter start-ups and supported more than 86,000 people through the MicroBuild Fund. The report also demonstrates how the organization's supporters were able to continue to make impact beyond traditional building activities. More than 8.5 million people globally gained the potential to improve their housing conditions through Habitat's advocacy and training work. Throughout the pandemic, Habitat leveraged its Cost of Home advocacy campaign in the U.S. to secure Congressional support for emergency housing initiatives to aid those economically impacted by the pandemic. That advocacy helped secure $9.96 billion for a homeowner assistance fund to help families avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes. Habitat's impact is felt locally in more than 70 countries around the world. This year, Habitat aided more than 1.1 million people in Asia and the Pacific region, nearly 1.6 million people in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, more than 1.4 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean, and more than 30,000 people in the U.S. and Canada. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat for Humanity has now helped more than 39 million people globally build or improve their home.
Tags : INTERNATIONAL FUND Homeowner Habitat Startups Shelter MicroBuild Fund Healthy Home Terwilliger Center for Innovation