.png)
Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity
Dave Rozman from Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity talked about the local chapter of the international organization. Habitat's chapter in Holland started in 1990. Since its founding, they have built 160 homes and many home repairs. More than 670 people have been able to live in affordable homes because of this. Every year people from our community donate between 12,000 and 15,000 hours to help build housing.Families that qualify for housing through Habitat have an income of between 30-80% of the Average Mean Income of the area. Many families are not able to afford safe housing, nutritious food, healthcare, and reliable transportation. They have to choose between those needs. Each family contributes 250 hours to Habitat before moving into their house. Habitat mortgage payments are no more than 29% of the family income.
Habitat has found that home ownership leads to strength, stability, and self-reliance. Families in Habitat homes stay in the home, on average, for 20 years.
Lakeshore Habitat has been focusing on larger projects in recent years to try and alleviate the housing crisis. Current projects are:
- Buttermilk Creek Townhouses in Hudsonville.
- Vista Green Neighborhood in Holland City. This is a joint project with Jubilee Ministries which is building 42 homes.
- Haven Townhouses in Holland Township. This is a development specifically for people with disabilities, who are often the most discriminated against in housing.