Independence, Freedom, and Cost of Home

July is the month Americans celebrate and reflect on our Independence to live in freedom and prosperity.  At Crystal Coast Habitat for Humanity, we believe everyone needs a place to call home, not being dependent on external decisions, in order that low-income families can live independently, safely, and by self-reliance.

Have you ever thought about how much it costs to live in a home this way?  Here are some facts that will help you put this into perspective.  

• Nearly 19 million U.S. households today pay half or more of their income on a place to live.
• 1 in 6 families is denied the personal and economic stability that safe, decent and affordable housing provides. So, what does that mean to our community and our quality of life? That means 1 in 6 families have to make impossible choices. 
• First, it means that families are sacrificing things like food and medicine to pay for housing. 1 in 8 households in North Carolina is spending 50% or more of their income on housing.
• It means that they move more often, chasing affordable rents and communities, uprooting kids and creating instability that can lead to behavior issues, health problems and more. It means that seniors are being displaced due to what were once affordable communities. This displacement means that many of them become residents in assisted living facilities funded by taxpayers. 
• It is a spiral downward cycle. While there is no silver bullet to change these issues all at once, there are solutions to right the scale. Over the next five years,  COST OF HOME campaign will mobilize our partners, volunteers and community members across Carteret and Onslow counties, and, our country to find solutions and create policies that will advance access to safe, affordable homes. 

It all starts with you. People need to know the problem exists. Then, understand the impact on their own life.  Finally, a call to action. Let’s do something about it!

Today, we are inviting you as a business, church, or individual to join Crystal Coast Habitat for Humanity-like those Habitat organizations around the country, to become an advocate and to address housing affordability: Cost of Home.

By being an advocate you will help to address housing affordability and aid Crystal Coast Habitat for Humanity is working to ensure that no family has to pay more than half their paycheck in rent for shelter and forsake other necessary living costs. Cost of Home campaign seeks to identify and improve policies and systems through coordinated advocacy efforts at the local, state and federal levels. We will focus on the supply and preservation of affordable homes, access to credit, land use, and development of communities of opportunity. This campaign will work to better improve the quality of life and housing to become more affordable over the next 5 years. 

Every home is a building block.