Habitat for Humanity

Disaster Assistance

Working within disaster affected areas, Habitat for Humanity has played an instrumental role in rebuilding communities from the ground up by providing housing solutions to those who are least able to quickly rebuild or repair their homes due to job loss, lack of insurance, medical bills, or other financial issues. Their role in disaster relief has mostly centered on the later stages of recovery after the initial search and rescue and relief work has been completed. Their strategy is to provide long-term housing and shelter and help protect residents against future threats by building quality, permanent housing in safe areas.

Rather than simply building housing for a community, they empower communities to rebuild by partnering with them and providing the necessary skills, training, construction, and land preparation processes to catalyze rebuilding efforts. Through their outreach efforts, Habitat for Humanity staff and volunteers focus on education, training, and partnerships to build the long-term capacity of communities to facilitate appropriate action to rebuild homes in disaster-impacted areas.

After Hurricane Katrina ravaged the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005, Habitat for Humanity broadened their approach to housing by shifting their profile as a new home construction builder to a “housing solutions” provider. Focusing more broadly on housing solutions gives Habitat a larger [Page 258]repertoire of approaches to disaster situations, ranging from deconstruction, reconstruction, repair, and rebuilding. In addition, Habitat volunteers also participate in more immediate housing solutions, including “mucking and gutting” flood-damaged homes; providing transitional shelter; providing technical expertise; and supplying tools, supplies, and other materials to communities engaging in relief efforts.

For example, in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, Habitat for Humanity partnered with a number of grassroots relief organizations to establish Camp Hope, a full-service residential volunteer center that provided dorm-style housing, meals, and volunteer coordination for the droves of students, church groups, and other support staff that descended on the area in the years following the 2005 hurricanes. This facility became hub of volunteer activity in the severely flooded region by providing a temporary home to roughly 85,000 volunteers equaling 250,000 bed nights during its three-year existence. After relocating to its third and final location in Violet, Louisiana, Camp Hope closed in May 2009.

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