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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom a cost standpoint, what it costs Habitat to build a house \u2014 even as recently as 2017 and 2018 \u2014 compared to now is drastically more expensive. And the rent hikes put an extra stressor on affordability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bowling Green is experiencing welcomed economic development, which means an influx of people into the area \u2014 but not enough affordable housing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Habitat\u2019s constituency in Bowling Green consists of people\u00a0who need a partner or support in buying their first home. They\u2019ve rented in the past, but now they know they want to be in the area for five or 10 years and know it makes sense to purchase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unique to Bowling Green, one in seven residents of the area are non-native born, many of whom have come out of crisis situations. And so there is a wide swath of people in Bowling Green \u2014 both lifelong residents and people from all over the world \u2014 who wish to buy a home but may not be in a position to walk into a bank and get a traditional loan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey need help. Our rate historically has been no to low interest \u2014 a significant break compared to standard rates. Our constituency is folks in the area who have a housing need, whether it\u2019s substandard housing or it\u2019s become unaffordable \u2014 but they want to be here. They want to live here. They want to have a home here,\u201d Sheffield explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The numbers tell the tale. Twenty-five years ago, Habitat for Humanity in Bowling Green built around a house a year. That number gradually increased to around three houses a year. This year, Habitat will be constructing around 11. Those figures will certainly increase as the housing crisis continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Habitat is also involved with homelessness and housing-adjacent issues, but Sheffield stressed that\u00a0Habitat does not offer temporary or immediate housing solutions. \u201cWe\u2019re a long-term housing partner and a piece in a very large-scale community approach. And the biggest thing for us is to continue to be as active as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are some huge issues \u2014 locally and nationally. Matt Sheffield feels that there is no end in sight for Habitat for Humanity\u2019s work. Rather than lapse into despair, though, he sees the endless work as a call to action. \u201cWe\u2019re going to keep doing it.\u201d As long as there are groups like Habitat for Humanity, these awful economic conditions can be slowly and gradually combatted. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" HABITAT FOR Humanity, the housing assistance program made famous by Jimmy Carter, has a name recognition that few other charitable endeavors can match. Habitat\u2019s national fame presents a paradox – the backbone of the organization is the smaller, local advocacy centers. These are lesser known, but they\u2019re the real strength of Habitat for Humanity. Matt […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":23373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/bowling-green\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/11\/1-5-1024x683.png\")
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