Need

Shelter is a primary need for all. At its most basic, it is just a roof and four walls where we are safe and dry. Habitat for Humanity believes that simple, decent shelter is a basic human right.

Housing facts worldwide
• About 1 billion people are living in inadequate housing in urban areas alone (United Nations Centre for Human Settlements)

• UN estimates that by 2007 one in three urban dwellers will live in poverty • Forty percent of African urban households are living below the locally defined poverty line

• About 100 million people worldwide are homeless

Housing facts in Europe/Central Asia
• In Central Asian republics, half of the urban poor live in slum conditions

• Of Poland’s total housing stock of 11 million units, 1 million need major renovation and 300 000 should be demolished.

• In Armenia, almost every building in the country is considered to be below the current safety requirements for earthquakes.

• In Kyrgyzstan, less than 20% of the rural population has access to running water in their homes.

Click here to download Habitat's study on poverty housing in Europe/Central Asia (pdf file, 210k).

The solution
Adequate shelter provides so much more than a roof. It is one of the corner stones upon which healthy, productive lives can be built. Slum housing causes ill health, severely limits educational and economic opportunity, and perpetuates the cycle of poverty. To free a family from poverty housing has immediate and direct health benefits, and is strongly associated with rising educational and economic attainment. But, most of all, it honors an individual’s innate human dignity—they have a dwelling they do not feel ashamed of and will proudly call home.

Join us in breaking the cycle of poverty
Habitat for Humanity has already helped a million people to have a simple, decent and affordable place to live. We work with volunteers and communities in need in 100 countries around the world. Join us in our efforts to eliminate poverty housing from the world! Support Habitat financially, come build with us around the globe or get involved in other ways.