Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) and its affiliates share a common vision as they seek to eliminate both poverty housing and homelessness from the world. To execute against this vision, HFHI invites all people to build houses together in partnership with those in need. Habitat for Humanity International and its affiliates consider all to be equal. Peering is a key attribute embraced by Habitat for Humanity.

HFHI and its affiliates share a granted trust. All the work is accomplished at the community level by the Habitat affiliates. Each Habitat affiliate coordinates all aspects of home building in its local area—fund raising, building site selection, partner family selection and support, house construction, and mortgage servicing. HFHI trusts that the community level affiliates not only accomplish the work, but also that they can better serve the community they support.

Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East exemplifies just one example of the successful collaborations of HFHI and its affiliates. Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East is the oldest affiliate on the West Coast, and the largest in Oregon. It serves the needs of low-income, hard-working families and is currently one of the city’s only providers of home ownership opportunities to families at 30-60% of the median Portland household income level.

Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East partners with the community it serves. Homes are built with a volunteer labor force, utilizing building materials and services that are donated by local businesses as well as individual and corporate donations. Working in partnership with individuals, businesses, neighborhood groups, and faith organizations, volunteers build simple, decent homes, which are then sold at no profit with a zero-interest loan to families who qualify for the program. These families are equal partners as they must invest 500 hours of “sweat equity” into the building of their home and homes for others. Each homeowner’s monthly mortgage payment goes into a revolving fund that is used to build more local Habitat homes. Shared risk and reward is a key attribute of Habitat for Humanity and for the communities it serves.

Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East has built over 150 simple, decent homes for over 25 years. Habitat for Humanity International has built more than 300,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1.5 million people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter for over 32 years.  Through collaboration on a community, national, and international level, Habitat for Humanity has proven to be a successful long-lived organization.

Habitat for Humanity and all strong collaborative communities start from the individual and through the sum of those efforts larger things are possible.