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HISTORY AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with God and people everywhere to develop communities with people in need by building and renovating houses so that there are safe, decent, affordable houses in which every person can experience God’s love and can live and grow into all that God intends.

The United States has an estimated 2,300 Habitat affiliates and 900 campus chapters, and including affiliates in 100 countries around the world. Habitat has built more than 200,000 houses in partnership with over one million people in need. At present, Habitat for Humanity affiliates build one house every 26 minutes. The Habitat for Humanity of Springfield believes that every person in the Springfield-Greene County deserves to live in safe, decent, affordable housing.

  Groundwork to develop a local Habitat for Humanity affiliate began in the early 1980s. Habitat for Humanity of Springfield was formally affiliated in 1988, when the first house was built. Since 1997, Habitat of Springfield has built 6-8 houses each year in partnership with families in need. Long-range planning professionals estimate the Springfield community can potentially build between 10-15 houses per year. The Habitat of Springfield Board of Directors voted to build 13 houses in 2008.

In 1998, the Board of Directors and community partners began the development of a 51-house subdivision—McAL (Model Community for Affordable Living)—using State CDBG and Federal HUD/SHOP grant funds for infrastructure, and all support to build the houses was locally donated. The last house in McAL was completed early in 2006.

In March 2006, ground was broken for a planned community north of Springfield. This 18-acre development, called Legacy Trails, eventually will provide 56 more homes for deserving families in Greene County. By the end of 2006, three Habitat homeowners had moved into their Legacy Trails homes, with five more under construction. Since Habitat Springfield’s inception, nearly 100 houses have been built in partnership with deserving Greene County families, benefiting approximately 400 adults and children.

Habitat families are selected on the basis of need, ability to pay, and willingness to partner in the program. A partner family buys the house for the value of the materials, with no down payment and a no-profit, no-interest loan from Habitat Springfield. The cost of a 2, 3 or 4 bedroom home ranges from $51,000 to $65,000. The monthly house payment, including taxes and insurance, ranges from $230 to $400 a month for 15 to 20 years. Families are required to complete 300-350 hours of “sweat equity” to build their homes. Sweat equity creates better homeowners and develops pride of ownership, valuable skills, and strong communities and neighborhoods.

Habitat for Humanity of Springfield operates the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, a discount building materials store, to raise funds to build more houses. New and used items are donated and discounted 50% or more. Sales have grown from $17,555 in 1999 to more than $402,000 in 2007. The great thing about Habitat is, IT WORKS!