Homes of Hope
Homes of Hope – International
Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter?”
Isaiah 58:7
Homes of Hope (HOH), a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) program was created to address the desperate need for shelter among the poor in Mexico. To date, close to 3,000 homes have been built for needy Mexican families through this special home building program. This program has now been adopted by YWAM locations across the Caribbean, including the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Panama and now Haiti. These homes are built by visiting church and family teams, business groups, and Mission Adventures youth teams. Our heart is to provide housing for families of three or more children, have limited income and is incapable of providing their own home. Teams are responsible for raising the building cost as well as coming to participate in the construction.
The Homes of Hope program is designed to come alongside families who have made the initial step to purchase land but are in need of help to build an adequate structure for their family. Families receive their Homes of Hope home free of charge. After being qualified through an extensive application process, every family will have a home built on a concrete foundation including windows, a lockable door and a room divider. Each family member is encouraged to participate in the building process.
The Answer is “Yes!”
Perhaps you’re wondering what type of long term impact the home you are building will have. There are five main benefits to a family receiving a home:
Economic Impact
A debt-free home helps leverage families out of poverty. Funds previously needed to treat sick children and keep them warm can now be used to purchase school supplies and other necessities.
Educational Impact
A stable environment encourages learning. A child who lives in a home is three times more likely to attend school, plus they continue their education for an average of two more years.
Health Impact
Eliminating dirt floors and exposure to the elements improves their overall quality of life and reduces sickness. Having a concrete floor alone reduces incidence of recurring diarrhea by more than 40%.
Social & Emotional Impact
The emotional well-being of family members stabilizes as basic issues of survival are eliminated. The marriage and the family’s home life is strengthened, and they can start thinking about the future.
Spiritual Impact
Your practical demonstration of God’s love for them inspires a desire to want to give back.
Homes of Hope – Haiti
After the 2004 & 2008 hurricanes and the 2010 earthquake God stirred YWAM to assist the large numbers of Haitians in need of housing. Some still living in hurricane damaged homes, built with natural materials that are no longer waterproof and have dirt floors, others have been displaced from the earthquake.
For those families that clearly cannot recover from such destruction on their own or have not been able to own a home due to economic, natural disaster or other unforeseeable event, YWAM HAITI has adopted the vision and principles of the HOMES OF HOPE International ministry with consideration to the following amendments to the general requirements.
Amendments due to special situations and cultural differences
Any single mother regardless of number of children can qualify for a HOH. Families numbering two or more children also qualify.
Host
YWAM Haiti is the host organization and works together with visiting groups to build each home. We handle all of the details of the program including selecting the family and preparing the build site. Our goal is to make it a turnkey event for your group. Meaning your team will complete one duplex for two families concluding your time by passing the key to the new families before departure.
Construction type
Each home is constructed of cement block, concrete poles and floor, wooden doors and windows and tin roof.
Each 20’x26’ duplex home takes a minimum of five working days to complete. This is pending on distance between building site and base camp. Homes of Hope is a great team building event for families, youth, churches and business teams. There is work for everybody, whether it is digging foundations, carpentry, mixing concrete, carrying block or painting the final structure. Teams are also encouraged to bring a Gospel presentation to the community where they are building.
COST
For efficiency we build homes in Haiti as a duplex. The cost per duplex for materials and some skilled local labor is $6,500.00 USD if a team comes to assist with the construction. IF NOT accompanied by a team to assist with the construction the cost per duplex for materials and skilled local labor is $7,000.00 USD
Number of families in a duplex
Each duplex provides a two room home for two families, except if the family numbers above 6 members. If the family is so large that it could adversely effect a proper social environment or the physical health of individual members, it may be necessary to provide the complete duplex for a single family.
