Whether it is hot, cold, rainy, or snowing your house protects you from the outside elements. People who are homeless or people who have a home that is in bad condition don’t have that basic need fulfilled. Habitat for Humanity of Dane County is there for those people when they need help. People who are in need of a home can apply for a home at one of many meetings. Homelessness has always been a problem in the Dane County area; consequently, Habitat for Humanity of Dane County was founded in 1987 and has built over 200 homes, but there are still many families who don’t have the homes they deserve.
To begin, many people in Dane County do not have a home to live in or their home is too old and damaged which makes it unsafe to inhabit. For example, Alisha Lyons graduated from high school early and got an Associates Degree from a community college. After she graduated, she got a great job and purchased a new car. She was diagnosed with a severe case of Preeclampsia, a terrible condition that affects both the mother and child, when she was only 6 months pregnant with her son. Her son, Drake, was born ten weeks early at two pounds, fifteen ounces. He spent over 57 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. When Drake finally did come home he was confined to a tiny apartment on oxygen assistance, requiring feedings and temperature checks every 3 hours. A few months after her son left the hospital; tragedy struck and left her a single mother. Since the family was struggling financially, becoming homeless was always a fear to the new family. Cases like the Lyons family may seem rare, but in 2009 nearly 4,000 individuals stayed at least one night in a Dane County Shelter. The problem is that low income families cannot pay a home mortgage or afford rent. This leads to families living in bad neighborhoods or in a dangerous apartment. If the problem is ignored, homelessness may increase. In 2010, 1,371 family members were turned away from a shelter, because the shelter could not hold any more people. Every one of those families deserves a second chance at owning a home. Also 84 families reported having slept in an uninhabitable place before coming to the shelter. Homelessness is all over Dane County and is a serious problem. In response to this terrible problem Habitat for Humanity of Dane County was created and has been building affordable homes all around Dane County for 25 years. They have received a four star rating from charity navigator, the highest rating possible, for the past five years and have also received the GuideStar Exchange Seal, demonstrating their commitment to transparency. With the donations it receives Habitat for Humanity builds simple, decent, and affordable homes which it then sells to the homeowner. The average cost of a home is around $90,000. The no interest loan that the homeowner pays back will go towards building other homes. No money is made on the loan so Habitat for Humanity and future homeowners are completely dependent on donations. Only 7% of every dollar donated goes to administrative and fundraising expenses. That means that 93% of donations go toward creating more opportunities for people to become independent and start a life of their own in their new home. Habitat for Humanity does not just hand new homeowner’s the keys; families wanting a home must put in at least 325 to 375 hours of sweat equity. After attending a meeting and applying for a home Alisha Lyons was accepted into the program. Drake Lyons is now 2 years old and has fully recovered in his new home. The Lyons family had an unfortunate tragedy happen in their life and they were given a second chance thanks to donations from people who didn’t even know them. They are very thankful for everything they received, but there are 1000’s more people in urgent need of new homes
Finally, Habitat for Humanity of Dane County needs donations from generous people like you to continue helping
