6.0. HRSR 06-24-2002 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Habifacts : Little Known Facts & Common Misconceptions Who's Who? Who started Habitat for Humanity? Many people think that Jimmy Carter founded Habitat for Humanity. Although the former President is probably Habitat's most well- known volunteer, he didn't start the organization. Habitat was started in 1976 by Alabama lawyer and businessman Millard Fuller. Habitat Homeowners & Their Homes • Total amount of interest paid by Habitat homeowners on their mortgages: $0. • Total number of Habitat homeowners who have gotten their houses for free: 0. • The foreclosure rate on Twin Cities Habitat homes is less than 1%. • In the US, the typical Habitat home is 1,000 square feet, with three bedrooms, one bathroom, no basement, and no air conditioning. • • It takes an average of 4,000 volunteer hours to build or rehab a Twin Cities Habitat home. The Numbers • Habitat for Humanity works in all 50 US states and in 81 countries. • Over 114,000 homes have been built by Habitat worldwide. • Approximately one-third of all Habitat houses are built in the U.S. • Habitat is the 15th largest homebuilder in the U.S. in units completed in 1999 according to Builder Magazine, May 2000 issue. Housing Facts • 5 million US households find it necessary to spend more than ha/f their pretax income on shelter. • 55,380 US residents were living in Habitat homes in 1996. Of this, 31,278 were under 18 years old. • 15 million Americans are in need of subsidized housing because of their age, income status, or disability. Of these, only 4.3 million have access to subsidized housing. • 185,000 Twin Cities households earn incomes below $30,000 and pay more than 30% of their income for shelter. • 50,000 Twin Cities suburban households earn incomes below $20,000 and pay more than 30% of income for shelter. • • 68,900 renters in the Twin Cities have incomes below $10,000. There are only 31,200 units affordable to these households.