No one ever really thinks about losing their house. The thought of never having had a home is foreign to so many people in our community. However, the startling reality is that over 100 million people worldwide are homeless with two billion trapped in slum housing. Since 1976 Habitat for Humanity has built and repaired more than 400,000 houses all over the world, providing people with a chance at living a normal life and bringing happiness to countless tired souls. On Jan. 21, the South Collin County School Habitat for Humanity Youth Build set out to assemble a home for yet another very deserving family.
“Having a home, something that many of us take for granted, is a very important aspect of life,” senior Habitat vice president, Sarah Shaikh said. “The houses that Habitat for Humanity builds not only provide shelter, but also allow families to provide stability for children, physical safety and security, increase a family’s sense of dignity, improve health, and increase educational and job prospects.”
Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that builds homes for those with nowhere left to go. They consist of volunteers that donate their time and resources to help others, requiring nothing in return. The group has responded to numerous disasters by providing housing for people left homeless by war and civil unrest in nations all around the world. Habitat was one of the many organizations that sprang into action following the disastrous earthquake that hitHaitiin 2010.
“I feel that the rebuilding process is crucial to the success of a developing nation and that Habitat helps create infrastructure for a nation like Haiti,” junior Jake Goldman said.
Plano West students donned goggles and gloves alongside students from Plano East Senior High School to begin putting together a home early that Saturday morning. Hammers were raised and walls put up, morphing a bare frame into something that began to mirror the homes in the surrounding area. Facing the cold, teens devoted their time and effort to doing something that truly helped the community and provided a family a new start. However, they were not alone; at each build, future homeowners help the volunteers build the very houses they will soon be dwelling within, giving them the chance to see how special a gift they are truly receiving.
“I know Habitat makes a difference in people’s lives just based upon the families’ reactions,” senior Habitat vice president, Alex Byron said. “The family who is receiving the house is required to work a certain amount of hours on the house along side us, and as a result, they are very involved with the process.”
In the interest of creating a place for families to live in without payment, Habitat accepts all forms of donations from individuals, groups and corporations that are willing to expend resources. Habitat raises up to $70,000 every year for supplies to build homes and provide food for volunteers. At the build in January, Habitat ran a Consumable Household Supply Drive in hopes to provide useful items to be used by the family that would move into the home they were in the process of building.
“Donations show that people are at least acknowledging the situation of others,” Goldman said. “They should donate to help those who are not as privileged to become successful.”
People of all backgrounds, races and beliefs have come together for years to bring aid to those who so desperately need a hand. Families that have fallen on hard times are given a small reprieve and are gifted with more than a roof over their heads. They are gifted with the realization that someone out there cares; that there are strangers out there that put their time into helping others with no added benefits. Habitat for Humanity is more than an organization; it is an example of the kind of life we should all strive lead.
“Habitat creates homes, not just houses,” Byron said. “We provide people with a chance to raise their kids in an environment other than what they would have had without our help.”
