See Beautiful Grant Applicant: Habitat for Humanity - North Central Georgia

The feature below is brought to you by Habitat for Humanity - North Central Georgia, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here.
 
To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.

Habitat-NCG is a 501(c)3 housing ministry, and is an independently run and operated affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, building affordable permanent housing and providing essential homeowner sustainability education for families in the metro-Atlanta community.

Habitat-NCG and the Housing Inequality Crisis:
At Habitat-NCG we not only see the beauty in all genders, races, and communities, but we also see the blatant affordable housing gap that affects low income households. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there are only 37 affordable homes for every 100 low income households in the United States. In Georgia, there is a shortage of 193,726 affordable homes. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, stable housing has a direct impact on one’s mental health. Permanent housing is also the first stepping stone to breaking cycles of homelessness, involvement in the criminal justice system, and hospitalizations. Habitat-NCG sees the beauty in communities that have been overlooked and neglected, and we believe that by providing marginalized communities with stable housing, we can help others on their journey to see the beauty in themselves. 

Habitat-NCG is taking direct action to close the affordable housing gap in North Central Georgia by building homes for marginalized people and empowering them with the tools they need for homeownership. Habitat homes are not a temporary housing solution, they are permanent housing with mortgages that are affordable for the families. Families are not only securing stable housing, they are moving into ownership of an asset that will allow them to find stability both physically and financially. Habitat homeowners are equipped with homeowner classes, providing them with the tools they need to maintain their house and financial stability. Habitat-NCG does not just give a house to someone, instead, we work with the families long-term, empowering them to maintain self-sufficiency.

Habitat-NCG Families:
The struggle for stable homeownership is often caused by a significant change outside of someone’s control. Read this first hand experience of the Williams Family that was housed in 2019:

Lori Ann is a proud mother of two daughters Hannah and Asia. When Asia was born with a rare chromosome deletion that affects her speech and impairs her mental and physical functions Lori had to make a job change and accept a lower paying job in order to be available to address frequent medical emergencies Asia faces. At the time, the family rented a split-level home in Forsyth County. The layout of the home required Lori Ann and Havannah to lift and carry Asia much of the time. There was an obvious need for a wheelchair accessible home so that Asia could become more independent. Habitat-NCG and its sponsors were able to properly design and build a house specifically for this family to move into and own in 2019.

Another unfortunately familiar story is that of single parents fleeing domestic abuse. 35.1% of Georgia women and 39.9% of Georgia men experience intimate partner physical violence, sexual violence and/or stalking. The Francis family is one of those families, and Habitat-NCG had the opportunity to provide housing stability during an otherwise chaotic time.

In 2013, Rachel* sought the assistance of a local non-profit organization to help her leave a marriage that became unsafe. In 2014, her youngest son was born which left her raising her three children on her own. To add more comfort barriers, the Francis family lives in a two bed one bath apartment that lacks central heating and air making utility bills on the verge of being unaffordable and the home cramped for a family of their size. In 2018 the Francis family was accepted into the Habitat-NCG program and is now on their way to having a more safe, comfortable, and fulfilling life.

Habitat-NCG Is For Everyone:
Habitat-NCG sees the beauty in the community around us, but also acknowledges and is driven to help those who are marginalized see the beauty in themselves through empowered and affordable homeownership. Affordable and safe housing is a powerful form of equity and inclusivity - allowing a stable platform of housing for those who are in a frequently forgotten community to not only be taken care of, but also feel safe enough to speak up for those around them so that others may be given shelter. Owning a home and having safe, affordable housing is empowering, and Habitat-NCG is proud to give that power to people who need it most. 

Submitted by: Sabrina Kirkland