To learn more about the campaign and its progress, visit
its webpage:
Habitat for Humanity’s
three-fold disaster response benefiting Haitian families
affected by the earthquake
ATLANTA (July 12, 2010) —As part of a three-fold response
in its goal to serve 50,000 families affected by the Jan.
12 earthquake in Haiti, Habitat for Humanity has assembled
more than 21,000 emergency shelter kits, conducted more
than 2,000 home safety evaluations and is building up to
70 transitional shelters per week. To date, Habitat has
built nearly 400 transitional shelters.
“We’ve made steady progress over the past six
months in helping Haiti to rebuild,” said Jonathan
Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “By
working closely with our partners and staying focused on
our mission to provide families with pathways to permanence,
we are beginning to make a significant impact on the lives
of families in need. “
Habitat emergency shelter kits, which represent the first
phase of Habitat’s response, contain tools families
can use to make immediate repairs and help construct temporary
shelters. The kits are being distributed by Habitat partners
to Haitians left homeless by the earthquake.
As part of the second phase of its response, Habitat’s
rehabilitation solutions include helping families to remove
or recycle debris from their home sites, organizing unaffected
families to host affected families and constructing transitional
shelters, the materials for which can be reused or recycled
into permanent housing. Transitional shelter recipients
own the shelter material, regardless of land ownership status.
Habitat’s transitional shelters are part of a larger
initiative coordinated by the U.N. Haiti Shelter Cluster
to provide a total of 125,000 transitional shelters by summer
2011, providing a safe place to live for approximately 625,000
people.
Habitat’s reconstruction solutions include repairing
houses and building upgradable transitional shelters. Habitat
will also build onto existing host family homes, as needed,
and design and plan whole communities. Habitat’s upgradable
transitional shelters have a permanent foundation and represent
the first stage of a permanent house. Upgradable transitional
shelters are built with families who own their own land.
This approach allows Habitat to more rapidly meet the immediate
shelter needs of more families while also helping them to
incrementally upgrade over time.
Habitat is also performing structural damage assessments
in affected houses and advising families whether their home
is livable, needs repairs or should be demolished. With
2,000 assessments already complete, Habitat’s goal
is to assess 15,000 houses by the end of 2010, in areas
hit hard by the earthquake: Port-au-Prince, Léogâne,
Cabaret and Jacmel.
“Availability of land on which to build transitional
shelters and permanent homes remains a critical issue for
Habitat and all shelter organizations,” said Claude
Jeudy, national director for Habitat for Humanity Haiti.
“Habitat is working diligently to acquire land for
landless families left homeless by the earthquake and advocating
strongly for the prompt establishment of a clear, equitable
land rights system.”
Iowa First Lady Mari
Culver Joined
Habitat for June
5 Dedication
Habitat
for Humanity Quad Cities welcomed Iowa First Lady Mari Culver
on Saturday, June 5 at 1224 Mississippi in Davenport for
the dedication of house #66 for partner family Lorenzo Bonazzi.
Like all partner families,
Lorenzo was selected as a partner family based on his need
for affordable housing, his ability to pay a mortgage, and
his willingness to partner with Habitat. Lorenzo has put
in more than 260 hours of sweat equity by working on the
construction of his and other Habitat homes.
Sponsorship for the home was
provided by I-Jobs, the Scott County Housing Council, City
of Davenport HOME Funds, and Alcoa. The home's costruction
was supervised by Alcoa's own Chuck Buel and longtime volunteer
Jim Miller.
At noon, Habitat broke ground
on house #68, located at 805 East 6th Street in Davenport,
for the Vanessa Stone partner family. The construction of
Vanessa's home will be supervised by volunteers Dan Mizner
and Thomas Leitch. The Scott County Housing Council, Wells
Fargo, and Genesis Health System are sponsoring the home.
Support Habitat's
Efforts in Haiti
Habitat for Humanity International is addressing the shelter
solutions for low-income families affected by the 7.0 magnitude
earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010.
At this time, Habitat is not sending volunteers
to Haiti. If you are interested in helping Haiti rebuild,
take the Haiti
volunteer interest survey. This survey will collect
your demographic and basic skills information, and will
sign you up for a periodic e-mail with updates regarding
Habitat's response in Haiti.
Please join us to help support Haiti by texting
'Habitat' to 25383 to make a $10 donation to Habitat's efforts
in Haiti. The donation amount will be added to your phone
bill. You can also click here
to make a donation to support Habitat's efforts to rebuild
Haiti.
