Who are Habitat for Humanity?
When you’ve been around in the real estate business as long as the Bahia Realty Group have (even though we’ve only recently begun to concentrate on the Tampa Bay area of Florida, we’ve been around for quite a while now), it’s inevitable that you’ll hear about the charitable organisation Habitat for Humanity.
A few myths circulate about Habitat for Humanity. The biggest one here is that this organization gives homes away to the homeless for free. This isn’t true. While it is true that Habitat For Humanity has the goal of helping people who are on lower incomes into their own homes, they don’t just give them away willy-nilly. Applicants have to meet certain criteria; the organization seems to look for those who fit the old description of “poor but honest”. And the applicants also have to put in up to 500 hours of sweat equity – their time and labour. As one Habitat For Humanity representative put it, anyone can bang in a nail to help build a house, at the very least.
Habitat for Humanity does not receive any government funding – it’s purely done on charitable donations. Donors can contribute building materials, empty lots or labour, as well as money. And yes, if you are interested in making a donation to this inter-faith charitable organization in the form of a building site, we can help you find a good one in the Tampa Bay area.
Jenn Cook