FEATURE STORY

Many successful businesspeople search for ways to fight poverty. Many Real Estate professionals fight poverty by helping hardworking but underprivileged families share in the homeownership dream. Real Estate agents in Las Vegas and across the nation are giving their time, resources and expertise to accomplish this goal in cooperation with Habitat for Humanity.

Rather than giving homes away, Habitat affiliates sell homes to families who volunteer to work and who meet certain income requirements. The homes are sold to the families at cost with interest-free mortgages.

Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas, Inc. is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. According to Habitat Las Vegas president and CEO Guy Amato, Habitat breaks the cycle of poverty by building simple, decent, affordable homes for deserving families.

Guy says there is a large population in Las Vegas of people who work hard but whose income cannot buy a house. He says, “The price of a house in Las Vegas has increased 70 percent in the past ten years… even [families with] the median income can’t afford a home.”

For families who make significantly less than the median income, the prospect of owning a home can be a pipe dream. Generations come of age with no expectation of ownership. Guy says, “In poverty, the world around you is not a friendly place.” Habitat breaks the generational cycle of non-expectation, helping people to build homes with their own hands.

Families who work to provide stability for their children are most apt to benefit from Habitat. For example, Guy cites a man who has worked as a car porter for five years. The man’s wife works at home as a seamstress. Together, the couple was rearing three children in an apartment. Although the couple worked hard and provided a stable life for their children, their income was not sufficient to buy a home in the current market. Habitat stepped in to help.

Guy stresses that Habitat homes are not simply need-based. There are many families in need who do not qualify for the program. For every 50 people who show interest in buying a home from Habitat, around two are accepted into the program. Before applying to the Habitat home program, a low-income family must perform 25 hours of volunteer work. Guys says that the volunteer hours, which act as the application fee, are designed to determine which families are willing to work.

Before being accepted into the program, a family must work with Habitat staff and outside agencies to bring their debt-to-income ratio to a manageable level, clear up their credit, and pay outstanding bills. Once accepted, the family must perform 250 additional volunteer hours and sign a no-interest mortgage to pay for the cost of their home’s construction.

Habitat Las Vegas is growing as quickly as Las Vegas itself. In fiscal year 2006 the organization built six homes. Between July of 2007 and June of 2008 they will build 11 homes. Guy’s goal is to top 15 homes per year, and the goal looks promising. Guy recently entered into an agreement with the Housing Authority of Clark County to acquire 10 acres of federally owned land controlled by the Bureau of Land Management. This agreement will allow for the construction of 60 homes with construction expected to begin in 2010.

Guy says that Habitat is unique as a nonprofit because it encompasses five different businesses. Habitat is a land developer, a home builder, a mortgage lender, a social services organization and a retail outlet. The Las Vegas Habitat retail outlet, called the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, is located at 1400 North Decatur Blvd. in Las Vegas. The store sells donated items that couldn’t be used in the construction of Habitat homes.

Guy says that Habitat is unique as a nonprofit because it encompasses five different businesses. Habitat is a land developer, a home builder, a mortgage lender, a social services organization and a retail outlet. The Las Vegas Habitat retail outlet, called Habitat Discount Home Improvement, is located at 1400 North Decatur Blvd. in Las Vegas. The store sells donated items that couldn’t be used in the construction of Habitat homes.

For instance, Lowe’s Home Improvement recently held a convention in which the company built an exhibition Lowe’s store inside a convention center. After the convention, Lowe’s donated the construction materials to Habitat’s retail store. The store also receives donations from construction projects and apartment renovations.

Guy says that the retail store pays for rent, utilities, trucks and salaries for his organization. Because the store pays for overhead, donations to the organization proper can go directly to the construction of homes.

Real Estate professionals make up a major source of sponsorship for Habitat. For instance, the National Association of REALTORS®, in addition to donating $80,000, recently framed a home in a parking lot before a convention. The home was then shipped to Louisiana as part of the “house in a box” program. Through such efforts, Habitat for Humanity International was able to facilitate the construction of 1,000 homes in the Gulf Coast region.

The Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors has sponsored Habitat for many years. In 2007, in addition to sponsoring a house, GLVAR members participated the September 11 “Day of Building,” which Guy, a native New Yorker, describes as “a way to show the world that American values lie in building, not in destroying.” In addition to sponsoring Habitat through GLVAR, individual REALTORS® also volunteer their time, provide services and professional advice, raise funds within their offices, and attend fundraising events.

The year’s largest Habitat Las Vegas fundraising event will be held on November 8, 2007. The event is called “Home for the Holidays” and will be held in the home of a prominent member of the community. Because the home space is donated and the catering is sponsored, 90 percent of the revenue generated will go directly to Habitat. In 2006 the event raised $200,000. The goal for 2007 is $300,000. Entertainment will include a jazz band and a silent auction. Tickets are $75, and the location will be revealed on the invitation.

For more information, call (702) 638-6477 or visit www.habitatlasvegas.org.

Photography: Britt Pierson