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Recent Developments
Two programs that promise to significantly expand Habitat’s impact are the 21st Century Challenge and Save and Build.
The 21st Century Challenge helps communities develop an achievable plan to eliminate substandard housing within a certain number of years. Habitat affiliates collaborate with other community groups, businesses, churches, and local governments to tackle the problem. The program has experienced proven success.
Sumter County, Georgia, where Habitat for Humanity International is headquartered, was like many rural Southern counties: dotted with dilapidated shacks. Finding that unacceptable in its own backyard, Habitat in 1993 organized the Sumter County Challenge. By 2000, collaborative efforts had resulted in several hundred new homes being constructed, and no one in the county was forced to live any longer in substandard housing. The 21st Century Challenge invites other communities to embrace that goal.
Habitat for Humanity’s Asia-Pacific area pioneered Save and Build to serve the very poor — those who cannot afford even the typical Habitat house.
Through the program, a dozen families join a savings group, each family committing to save about 25 cents (U.S.) per day. As they save, they gather building materials. After six months, the group has saved sufficient money to build one house. Habitat for Humanity, through donor contributions, then provides money for two more houses. In this way, each family is able to build a basic, but secure and affordable, house within two years.
Savings group members — like all Habitat homeowners — invest sweat equity in building their houses and pay for them in full. With many savings groups operating at once, even the poorest village can rebuild itself in a few years.
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