According to the Sunday Times, homes built by the Habitat for Humanity are falling apart. Even the homes that the Hollywood stars have built are crumbling. Residents are complaining that there are crumbling walls, mildew, skin rashes, cockroaches, and rats infesting the houses. It was noted that one man in Florida lifted up the floorboards of his home to realize that it was built on about five feet of rubbish from a dump. Eww!! The article also says that instead of the homes being built by professionals, volunteers are building them. This supposedly corrupts the structure in its entirety and is the cause of all the destruction.
My first thought was, “Wow. I can’t believe all these people are forking over thousands upon thousands of dollars and they can’t even build a decent house.” The ones that were reported in the article barely even lasted a few years before the contamination began. It is so sad that the wealthy people are trying to help reduce poverty, but all their efforts are going to waste.
After I read the article and absorbed my thoughts, I scrolled down to view the comments that were made on the article. At that moment, they completely changed. One person said, “don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” After thinking it over, it totally makes sense. The residents of these disastrous homes do not have any right to complain about their “free gifts.” They should feel lucky just to have a roof over their head. Another person said, “Maybe HFH in the future should offer courses on how to maintain a new home?!?” This is a sad but true comment. It is not always the fault of the builders. In some cases, people ought to blame themselves for their mistakes.
I am, however, very sad that there are people that have to live in moldy, smelly, and dirty homes. I wish that the world was perfect so that there would not be anymore povertly.
Here is the link of the article. Enjoy…
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article54393...
Actually, the houses are not free, the residents help build and and pay at a reduced price. And these people deserve a decent house.
However, the part about teaching the residents how to maintain the house is a good point. Except for the house that was built on garbage.
Like what you've read? Well, then here's more:
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tricia0711
that any work done half-assed is not only not productive, it is counterproductive. HFH should be hiring and working with professionals who are licensed in construction.
Otherwise, the people they are *helping* are only confused and jaded. At the same time, the organization has made commitments to its clients and donors. It has to live up to these to maintain its integrity and status.
I hope they turn this around. Otherwise many people will be even more jaded and less likely to reach out to help the underserved in their communities.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
I do think Habitat should be working with professionals to get the houses built. No one deserves a sub-par home.
And as someone already mentioned, these people are not getting free homes. They have to put a certain amount of work into building the home itself, and then they pay the mortgage on it without interest (though, considering that, I still can't fathom how they are paying the same my mom is paying for one of her homes and still taking 30 years to pay off the loan). One of my teachers has a Habitat home.
~C
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I imagine a lot of these Habitat homes are just fine.
I watched one of them being put up in my town and it seemed like the people did a pretty good job. Around here it is common for professional builders to donate their time to these projects so they benefit from some expertise.
It is probably just the Habitat homes built by Jimmy Carter that suck. He screwed up everything he touched. If George W. Bush ever starts building habitat homes I will be pretty leary of them too because he is at least as bad.
Are we talking about houses that he built himself? There were also many celebrities that were on that project as well and he didn't have any type of leadership position.
I found some articles about this story, including a very biased editorial on a website called rightpundit.com. It seems that this project was more of a publicity stunt and poor planning and communication.
Like what you've read? Well, then here's more:
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tricia0711
Mainly I was be facetious. Jimmy Carter screwed up everything he touched. It follows in my mind that his houses would be screwed up too.
I feel the same way about GWB. I would not trust that guy to change a lightbulb because he would probably manage to somehow burn down my house.
So many things….
First they quote "One man pulled up his floorboards to find rubbish 5ft deep under his kitchen." Uh I have never seen any house that did not have a foundation. Meaning if you pull up floor boards there should be cement. So either it was this man's trash or somebody should have noticed that there was not foundation and that they were building (and walking around) on a pile of trash.
Second, it is against the law to have anyone other then licensed contractors do the electrical/plumbing etc work and all homes need inspectors and work orders and documents saying the work can be done. All the volunteers do for this project is the work of laborer under the sight of the licensed pro.
Third, licensed professionals can volunteer their time and knowledge to the HFH. Volunteer is NOT synonymous with ignorant/unskilled laborer
Other then that, it is good to bring attention and fix what is broken whether it be gifts or rights.
There are very few human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, by instant illumination. Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, on a small scale, by successive developments, cellularly, like a laborious mosaic.~- Anais Nin
Thanks for pointing out the fact that the people that live in HFH homes do actually pay some money. Really interesting comments, nice food for thought. Thanks!!
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away" ~Hilary Cooper
The thought that an average person can not build a house is a new thing. Prior to the 1940's people bought land and built their own houses. I know that many things have changed since then and we need to have a house inspected to make sure that it is safe other then that I see no problem with people building their home.
I have help build houses and I helped tear down walls and pull up floors. I have also done a lot of wiring to aid in bring power to other parts of the house. I have even routed my own cable to my upside room as a kid. I have dug a basement. I have built a carport. I did all the above task as a kid between the ages of 9 to 16. Since then I have helped build a two level work shop. Also all the building I have worked on are still standing.
Do not be so quick to judge the work of other. HFH builds thousands of home per year and only a hand full of them are falling apart. Not to mention many homes build by professionals have burned to the ground because the wiring was below standers. and many house have flooded because of badly laid piping. Professionals work for money and only work as hard as they get paid. Volunteers or future owners work out of a sense of what is right and good. Be careful of what you wish for.
"Something given has no value"~Robert Heinlein
"Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it, is." Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richards Almanack, 1749