Anyone can be an advocate. We invite you to make a difference in your community.
What is Advocacy? Advocacy means supporting and promoting a cause you believe in. At Habitat for Humanity, we advocate to change policies and systems so that we can eliminate barriers to adequate, affordable housing.
Building is part of the solution, but the less visible aspects of housing like laws, regulations, systems and rules about land and the built environment are critical components, too. Sustainable and inclusive policies and systems can promote access to decent housing, while others can create barriers. And those barriers make it harder to find land for construction, build a home or be able to afford a place to live.
Habitat’s approach to advocacy is based on decades of on-the-ground experience and policy expertise. From our deep understanding of housing and its central role in providing opportunities for families, we work to reform laws in a non-confrontational, nonpartisan way.
In addition to lifting our hammers, we must also lift our voices in support of adequate shelter. Advocating for sustainable and inclusive policies and systems that promote access to decent housing is critical to achieving our vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
Outcomes associated with homeownerhsip
Improving affordable homeownership leads to numerous outcomes that extend beyond the house. In the U.S., these include greater economic stability, access to quality education, increased civic and social engagement, better health, and a reduced environmental footprint. Through a series of evidence briefs, Habitat is bringing to light research on the impact that affordable housing has on individuals and families at home and beyond.
2020 State of Home Affordability in Virginia
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, nearly one-third of households in the United States faced housing cost burdens — paying either 30% of their income for housing (cost-burdened) or 50% of their income on housing (severely cost-burdened) – due to increased housing costs and growing income inequality. As the economic fallout from the pandemic continues, millions of families are at risk of losing their homes and more than 37 million households are cost-burdened, with little income to afford food, health care and other basic necessities. With more than 17 million severely cost-burdened households in the U.S., advocating for home affordability and stability for homeowners and renters is as important as ever
Act now for housing
Join in the call to Congress to support Habitat for Humanity’s long-term priorities for housing stability and investment. Habitat applauds the housing assistance that has been provided by Congress as well as local and state governments to individuals and families affected by the pandemic, but more action is needed to improve long-term stability and affordability. Policymakers at all levels of government must continue their efforts to meet the long-term housing needs of families across the U.S. and invest in housing as the foundation to economic and societal recovery.
U.S. advocacy for housing
Did you know that in addition building houses, Habitat for Humanity is advocating to change systems and policies to ensure U.S. families have access to decent, affordable homes? Your advocacy to increase access to stable, affordable housing is needed now more than ever. The significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout are still unfolding and the number of families struggling to make ends meet continues to grow.