SERVICE LEARNING WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Carrie Stoner
I always knew I was more of a “hands on” learner but didn’t realize just how much until February 7, 2003 when I volunteered one morning of my time with Habitat for Humanity.
First of all, power tools and me - umm, let’s just say we don’t exactly get along. Okay, the fact is, I’ve never actually worked one in my life before my “service learning” with Habitat for Humanity. Today, however, I can pick up a drill and hang with the best dry wallers in the business thanks to Habitat for Humanity.
I can honestly say that I have never had so much fun learning something in my whole entire life. The folks at Habitat for Humanity are very intelligent, experienced and caring people. They taught us much more than how to hang dry wall – they taught us what it feels like to help someone obtain the all-American dream of owning your own home. That is a feeling that does not come from any textbook!
Not only did we learn how to hang dry wall but we also learned what Habitat for Humanity is all about. For instance, I knew that Habitat for Humanity is an international, nonprofit agency that strives to eliminate poverty housing. What I didn’t know is that to even be considered for a Habitat home, families must qualify for it by having an income which falls between 30 and 60% of the median income in the metro Phoenix area, have a two-year history of stable income, have a good credit record, demonstrate the need for adequate housing, complete 400 hours of sweat equity (first 100 hours building a fellow homeowner’s house and the remaining 300 hours on their own home) and attend classes in home maintenance, finance and home ownership. Also, what was of great interest to me was that for every house constructed here in Phoenix, Habitat for Humanity contributes $2000 to build a house in Latin America.
Phoenix is the 6th largest city in the nation with a critical need for affordable housing for hard-working, low-income families. Currently, 1.2 million Arizona residents live in substandard housing – most of which is located in south Phoenix alone. Obviously, a lack of affordable housing results in overcrowding, poor living conditions and excessive household expense. Thank goodness we have organizations such as Habitat for Humanity to help alleviate some of these problems right here in our own city!
Why then, did the South Mountain Village Planning Committee Speaker, Alan Stephenson, not like Habitat for Humanity’s presence in this part of the city? He stated it was because the city of Phoenix would prefer that Habitat for Humanity build single homes into already existing neighborhoods as “planting” whole communities of lower-income families does not help the economic growth of the city due to the lack of expendable income per family.
However, I tend to disagree with this thought pattern. In context of gentrification-by-subdivision under way, Habitat for Humanity’s affordable homes offer an important corrective to the displacement of lower income folks from their community.