THE GLOBAL DOWNTURN has dragged more people below the poverty line, and Habitat for Humanity now finds itself working doubly hard to shelter the countless casualties of the crisis.

Habitat is an international non-government organization that has dedicated itself to the homeless.

Rick Hathaway, vice president of Habitat for Humanity for the Asia-Pacific region, said the tough economic times had forced the organization to knock on the doors of more potential donors and companies who would be willing to take part in its mission.

Donors play a crucial role in the attainment of the organization?s vision, which is to take people away from slums and provide them decent shelters, Hathaway said.

300,000 houses worldwide

?Habitat relies on revenue streams. In times of economic crisis, we need to find more innovative ways to find financing,? Hathaway said in a briefing following a recently concluded housing forum held in Makati City.

Habitat for Humanity International was established in 1976 in Georgia, USA. It was founded by a couple named Millard and Linda Fuller.

Habitat has so far built and rehabilitated over 300,000 houses worldwide, sheltering more than 1.5 million people in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and the Asia-Pacific.

In the Philippines, Habitat for Humanity has built and rehabilitated over 26,000 houses.

Beauty queen Margie Moran-Florendo, an active partner of Habitat for Humanity, said in the same briefing that the Asia-Pacific region accounted for the biggest share of the world?s housing problem.

She said the region has 554 million hovels in slews of slum communities, accounting for 60 percent of the world?s total. If nothing is done about this, she said, the number could go as high as 1.3 billion by 2030.

?The vision of Habitat for Humanity is to take as many people as possible away from slums and place them in the formal sector,? Florendo said.

Alberto Jugo, president of Habitat for Humanity Philippines, said in the briefing that in the country, the organization?s current building capacity is 5,000 houses a year. The organization wants to double that figure to 10,000 houses a year in three years.

Jugo said that the target could be attained with the help of more volunteers and corporate donors. He said a lot of companies have found it worthwhile to support Habitat for Humanity to fulfill their own corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals.

Meeting objectives

Habitat for Humanity is hoping that more companies will support the organization in its objective. Companies may partner with Habitat for Humanity through various means. They can sponsor the building of some houses, donate construction materials or other resources. They can also encourage employees to serve as volunteers to help in the construction of houses.

Sharing its cause

?[Helping build houses] is an excellent avenue for businesses to act as responsible corporate citizens. Many corporations have even chosen to donate a number of houses to mark anniversaries or other corporate milestones,? Habitat said in its website.

Among the corporate entities in the Philippines that have provided support to the organization are ING Bank, Dole Asia, the Ayala Group of Companies, Caltex Philippines and the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

There are also business groups that have helped Habitat for Humanity, including the Makati Business Club and the Young Presidents Organization.

Jugo said Habitat for Humanity would welcome more corporate entities and individuals to be part of its cause.

?We hope there will be an increase in the number of companies coordinating with Habitat for Humanity for their CSR programs,? Jugo said.

While it does not give houses away for free, Habitat for Humanity does provide poor people with socialized houses at very affordable rates.

Dignity

?If people pay for their houses, that gives them dignity,? Jugo said.

Prices of the houses vary depending on the structure and location. Some houses cost as low as P40,000. Payments may take 5, 10 or 15 years to settle. If potential home owners will be able to tap assistance from Pag-Ibig, then the payment term can be extended to as long as 30 years.

?Our payment terms are flexible. We also do restructuring of loans especially in times of crisis when people are really having a difficult time meeting their obligations,? Jugo said. ?Like a bank, we also encounter defaults and try to collect payments. But unlike banks, we imbibe Christian values in the conduct of our services.?

He added that payment schemes could be flexible, depending on the capacity of the homeowners to pay.

Habitat for Humanity deals with its objectives through a holistic approach, Jugo said. It ties up with other organizations that can help provide livelihood training to people living in the Habitat communities. They also tap other organizations to conduct talks on moral formation.

To make sure that houses are going to be affordable, Habitat tries to find low-cost resources. For instance, the organization may tie up with a bank that is willing to sell an acquired land at a huge discount so that the property may be used for the building of a housing community by Habitat.

?We do not earn profit. All discounts we get are passed on to potential homeowners,? Jugo said.

Another way to ensure affordability of houses is to tap volunteers who will help in the construction of houses for free, he said. Some volunteers are engineering and architecture students willing to partner with Habitat.

Durable and decent

Also people with no background in engineering, architecture or house-building may serve as volunteers, Jugo said. Habitat for Humanity provides skills training for volunteers.

?With the help of volunteers, we are able to substantially reduce the cost of houses,? Jugo said.

Although Habitat for Humanity builds simple houses, the organization?s goal is to build houses that are durable and decent, with access to clean water.

Jugo said Habitat for Humanity would not have been able to serve poor people worldwide for more than three decades without the help of donors and individual volunteers.

Still, the organization has a daunting mission to fulfill, and it needs all the help it can get.