Habitat for Humanity of Broward

Habitat Broward offers a “hand up” not a “hand out” to low to very low-income families who are unable to qualify for conventional financing but are willing to work hard to improve their family’s lives.

Broward County, Florida, has an urgent need for programs that provide both stability to low-income families through affordable homeownership as well as overall stability to the South Florida housing market, which has rapidly deteriorated as a result of foreclosure and abandonment.

Unable to qualify for a home loan or afford a quality rental, many of Broward’s 160,000 low-income families spend greater than 50% of their income on substandard, overcrowded housing (Census 2000).

Few areas have been hit harder by the foreclosure crisis, which further restricts the availability of quality affordable housing, particularly for very low to low income renter families and in predominantly poor minority neighborhoods.

Importance of safe, decent, and stable housing

Living in substandard housing endangers a family’s health and safety, erodes their hope and self-worth, and can impair the ability of their children to succeed. Impoverished children are at increased risk of juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, school drop-out and employment problems later in life