Building Up the Detroit Community

Today, many of us had the opportunity to partner with Habitat for Humanity to help build two homes for those in need in the Detroit area. Habitat's current target area is the city of Detroit with a population of 951,000. The poverty rate is 21.7%, or 47,920 families below poverty level; 37.3% or 2,262 families have incomes under $25,000. Over 81% of the homes are over 40 years old.

We started the day with an orientation of the community and Habitat's mission. Habitat believes in helping people up, not handing homes out. Its philosophy is centered around bringing sustainability to communities and families, not dependency. This is accomplished by building affordable new homes for those in need financed through interest free mortgages provided by partner banks.

New homeowners must meet these three criteria in order to receive a Habitat home:

1. Sweat Equity: recipient families must participate in at least 250 hours of construction work with the volunteers.
2. Need: families must demonstrate a clear need for a new home.
3. Financial wherewithal: families must have a household income of at least $22,000 and be able to demonstrate ability to pay on the interest free mortgage.
   

It was a great experience for all involved in serving the community. We were able to build relationships not only with the other volunteers, but also amongst ourselves. It's amazing how community service can really bring unity to a such a diverse group of people. Hopefully in the future, more of us will be able to take time out to extend beyond the walls into areas of need.