“Families in Habitat houses prove every day that decent, affordable housing is a critical step on the ladder of opportunity.”
-Henry Cisneros, Habitat for Humanity International Board Member and Former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
affordable homeownership
The need for affordable housing is immense, and the lasting impact it can have on families is undeniable. Having affordable housing developments in neighborhoods bring a positive impact on the surrounding communities.
SGV Habitat works with city governments, housing organizations, and community advocates to create communities for families to thrive in.
Studies have shown affordable housing uplifts residents, encourages social connection, reduces overcrowding, increases adjacent property values, attracts businesses and jobs, and lowers crime rates.
Thanks to your support families throughout the San Gabriel Valley and beyond are witnessing first-hand what it is to have safe and stable housing. In fact, in the last thirty years, your support has helped over 300 families find brighter futures through permanent homeownership. Our work to make homeownership possible for all, however, has only just begun.
how communities benefit
when the people of a community are strengthened, the whole community is improved.
housing need is all around us
Housing costs in California have long been higher than the national average. In recent years, these costs have grown substantially—in some cases, growing at historically rapid rates. In January 2024 the Legislative Analyst’s Office – the California Legislature’s Nonpartisan Fiscal and Policy Advisor released the California Housing Affordability Tracker.
The highlights include:
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- The annual household income needed to qualify for a mortgage on a mid-tier California home in December 2023 was about $224,000—2.6 times the median California household income in 2022 ($85,300). For a bottom-tier home, nearly $137,000 in annual income is needed to qualify for a mortgage—about 60 percent higher than median household income in 2022.
- California home prices continue to be—much more expensive than the rest of the US
- There has been a dramatic increase in monthly payments for a newly purchased home over the last couple of years – with monthly payments ranging from $3,300-$5,500
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Unaffordable
Most believe that friends and family who are getting older will face challenges meeting their housing needs. Sixty-five percent of adults highlight affordability as a top issue, second only to an individual’s physical needs as they age.
Tradeoffs
More than half of all adults have made at least one tradeoff in the past three years to cover their rent or mortgage. Tradeoffs include taking second jobs, cutting back on health care and healthy food, and moving to less safe neighborhoods.
Limits
Annual household income needed to qualify for a mortgage on a mid-tier California home in December 2023 was about $224,000—2.6 times the median California household income in 2022 ($85,300).
challenges families face
In every region of the U.S. – Northeast, South, Midwest, and West – anywhere from fifty-three to sixty-nine percent of adults classify the purchase of affordable housing in their community as a challenge.
1 in 4
people live in conditions that harm their health, safety, prosperity, and opportunities.
65%
of adults highlight home affordability as a top issue, second only to physical needs.
90%
of surveyed Habitat homeowners in 44 U.S. cities said they could not have owned a home without help from Habitat for Humanity.
The Impact of Housing is Real
Housing is central in helping everyone thrive – it plays a key role in positively influencing a family’s education, employment, and health opportunities.
With Your Help, We Respond Together
We build. We repair and rehabilitate. We seek to further understand why housing matters, and why a decent, affordable home is so intricately woven into a healthy and vibrant future. We advocate for vital resources to build homes and improve communities. We partner with families to improve – and stabilize – their housing conditions. With your time and financial support, we can make a tangible impact that will last for generations.
17 seconds
Around the world, every 17 seconds Habitat serves a family in need of better housing.
46 million+
Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has helped over 46 million people achieve strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter.
over 2 million
Today, more than 2 million Habitat volunteers a year build, advocate and raise awareness about the global need for shelter.