Building Hope Since 1987

We've been working locally since 1987 to provide affordable housing.  At the close of 2006 we had completed 21 new homes with a duplex almost finished. Six were completed in our first 12 years, and 14 more were built during the ensuing six years. We built three homes in 2005 and are planning to build four more in 2006, adding to the number of homes we build every two years until we reach our goal of building 8-10 homes yearly.

Habitat affiliates are asked to contribute 10% of their funds raised for general use to Habitat Headquarters' overseas and international building efforts.  We send our 10% to our sister affiliate in San Ramon, Costa Rica where we have built 18 homes for families that quite honestly have absolutely nothing.  (A small refrigerator totally changes their lives.)

Our affiliate works throughout all of Whatcom County, Washington, selecting building sites where substandard housing is needed.

Breaking the Cycle of Poverty in one generation - more than 200,000 homes and 1 million people!

It wasn't what Habitat set out to do.  We just wanted to eliminate squalor housing and give deserving families a chance.  But since 1976, we've become the 18th largest home builder in America with over 200,000 homes, 1 million family members, and we're growing quickly!!  As a consequence, we're observing that the stable home is keeping kids in one school system, where they receive remedial help, are challenged to expand their gifts, and they receive help and encouragement for college and trade schools after High School graduation.  They are going on to get good jobs and have the expectation of home ownership of their own.  Thus, the cycle of poverty is broken, and with it an incalculable benefit to our society only envisioned by President Johnson and the Great Society.  Local, state and national governments receive property taxes, and no one has even begun to calculate the cost benefit of crimes NOT committed.  No other government plan or organizational operation can boast of this, to our knowledge. It's the difference between a hand out and a hand up using self-help home ownership brought about by generous donors,  wonderful volunteers and solid principles that encourage responsibility.