AmeriCorps I Economic Opportunity I Housing

In the United States, 48.5 million people are living in poverty. Minimum wage is not keeping up with the rising cost of living and many workers struggle to afford decent housing. Decent, stable housing provides more than just a roof over someone’s head. It provides stability for families and children; a sense of dignity and pride; health, physical safety and security; and increases educational and job prospects.

Habitat for Humanity – Seattle King County (HFHSKC) knows that homeownership plays a unique role in the long-term development and resiliency of our communities. Higher levels of homeownership typically breed healthier neighborhoods, and ongoing research strongly points to homeowners as anchors of their communities who are not only financially invested in where they live, but also more likely to build the human links with their neighbors that promote the stable communities all Americans desire.

That’s why HFHSKC was honored to serve as one of five sites across the country to host the 2013 Build-A-Thon. The annual Build-a-Thon event highlights local community needs for affordable housing while celebrating AmeriCorps members’ service with Habitat. The payback for all the time and effort spent planning the event is threefold: a jolt of experienced, enthusiastic labor; a lot of local media interest; and community buzz, a priceless commodity for ongoing programs to help families in need of affordable housing.

From May 9-24, 2013, more than 120 AmeriCorps members from 11 states and 27 different Habitat affiliates congregated in Seattle to work on 23 new homes in various stages of construction and joined forces on a community cleanup project in the neighborhood of White Center. A few of the construction projects are detailed below:

At the La Fortuna site in Renton, over 30 AmeriCorps members worked on the almost finished five-home building, completing siding on the upper level and completed exterior painting and caulking. They also worked on a three-home structure, framing all of the first floor walls and installing floor joists for the second level of the building.

At the affiliate’s Rainier Vista site, over 35 AmeriCorps members worked on the foundation of the site’s latest building— a five-home structure. Members formed and tied rebar for over 800 linear feet of stem walls and poured 44 yards of concrete

HFHSKC partnered with Habitat Tacoma-Pierce County to host 25 visiting members at The Woods at Golden Given. Members completed construction on foundations for four single family homes, raised trusses on one home, worked on siding for two new homes, and completed 400 feet of landscaping.

In addition to playing an important leadership role for the Build-a-Thon, during the current program year HFHSKC is piloting a new disaster mitigation initiative to educate low-income homeowners in disaster preparedness and to identify, assess and mitigate maintenance hazards that could make their households more vulnerable to damage in the event of a disaster.

The long-term impact of these efforts extends far beyond the walls of a new home. Habitat for Humanity - Seattle King County is "Building Homes - Building Communities."