Forming partnerships with non-profits provides many positive outcomes for your school district and your students. The benefits are worth the work and time. For our district the benefits include knowing that the house is “sold” before we build. The district also enjoys the positive PR that Geometry in Construction generates in the community by building for a non-profit. This is especially important during tight budget times. In addition, the partnership provides students with a greater sense of purpose. Our students realize they are not just doing another school project, but instead they are providing a home to a family that does not currently have one. Remember success on the job site translates to more success in the geometry classroom.
Now that we are building for Habitat for Humanity at our school, we will share some of the things we have learned through our experience. It is hoped that if you partner with your local Habitat, you can learn from our experience and shorten the implementation process.
It is extremely important to know that each of the over 1500 United States Habitat Affiliates are independently run with its own governing board. Each affiliate coordinates all aspects of Habitat home building in its local area and must raise the money needed to build a home. So, when someone says “this is the way Habitat does it”, know that it is a generalization not a requirement. This may mean that your local Habitat may not be interested in a partnership due to their requirements, but the requirements at the Habitat in the community next door may be different and they may be eager to partner with you.
Developing partnerships require time: time for you to figure out how to meet the non-profit requirements, time to bring school district administration on board, and time for the non-profit to process the ideas through their board. For us, our first non-profit partnership, Interfaith Hospitality Network (AKA Family Promise in other parts of the U.S.), was relatively quick to partner with us. They partnered with us after the first year. They quickly “adopted” us because they are a smaller non-profit with less red tape. On the other hand, to get our local Habitat for Humanity to partner was a 5 year process. But do not be discouraged. A school in South Dakota was able to partner with their local Habitat during their first year of implementation.
Do not be surprised if your Habitat takes a “wait and see” attitude. They may not believe that you and your students are capable of building a quality house. They may need to see a smaller “cabin” built in order to believe what your students are capable of building. Understand that your structure need not be perfect because Habitat is use to working with volunteers who are not professionals. Invite your Habitat board to visit your “cabin” and your students. Let them see what you can produce. We found it very important to state that you do not want to change what they are doing but “to add capacity and come alongside of their successful programs”. They need to understand that you want to enable them to build an additional house each year, not to replace what they are already doing. Another avenue to consider is to invite the State Level Habitat for Humanity Office. Every state has an office that coordinates all state affiliates. Remember the state office does not control local affiliates but supplies support. We approached the state office and were received with open arms as another possible partnership that could increase capacity of local affiliates.
Habitats have tight budgets and they do not receive money from the International office in Georgia. They may or may not be able to front the cost of building materials for a partnership with you. The school in South Dakota was able to have their local Habitat buy the entire material package. On the other hand, we do not get the entire building package up front, only the materials that Habitat gets donated. We purchase the materials as we go and then sell the home at the end of the year for the cost of the program (no profit). We can include costs such as t-shirts and tool replacement.
A myth that exists is that the Habitat families are given the home. That is not true. They purchase the home for the cost of the land and materials. The cost savings for the families is due to the decrease labor cost and a no interest mortgage. The labor costs can approach $0 when extensive use of volunteers are used or there may be a small labor cost if certain systems of the new home are contracted out to professionals. When the home is sold to the family, and a zero interest mortgage is signed, the mortgage is typically held by the local Habitat. Because the local Habitat owes the mortgage, they do not recoup the money for the new home materials right away (usually it takes 20 years). The money for the land and materials is slowly returned month by month in the form of a mortgage payment. So, when the Habitat decides to build another house, they must fundraise the money for the land and materials again.
Habitat for Humanity does receive donations but probably not as much as you would think. Donations vary by region and by the time of the year. Donations can include the lumber package, paint, floor coverings, door knobs, plumbing fixtures, foam insulation board, etc. Here is one way that schools can be an attractive option for Habitats. If you are networking with the local community, often times you can get other donations such as roofing, windows, siding, drywall, HVAC, doors, etc. When you reduce the cost to build the home, both your program and Habitats purchase cost can benefit (pending what you negotiate with Habitat). Also, Habitat may be able to include you in grants or you may be able to do the same for them. So far, Habitat has directed us into 2 grant applications.
Another advantage that schools can provide to Habitats is another source of volunteers. Usually, Habitats can’t make use of volunteers younger than 16 on the job site (remember this again varies by the affiliate) because of insurance issues. Schools, on the other hand, are in the business of educating and insuring younger people. Some Habitats have money but lack the volunteer base to build homes. Other Habitats are struggling with an aging volunteer base and they want younger volunteers to join them in their mission. In addition, your program may attract another group of volunteers, they are called parents. Parents can often be used in the technical systems of the house as well as general labor. Currently, we are working through policies for Habitat members to volunteer with us. We especially want to encourage the family that is receiving the home to be part of Geometry in Construction. Our students benefit with the family’s involvement.
As you begin with development of a partnership with Habitat (or any other non-profit), consider what other value you can add to the house when you sell it. The design and engineering is donated by a local modular home factory and we have worked to find a civil engineer that will do the foundation design for no cost. We have found a modular home mover that will move and set the house on the foundation for free. Use your parents to locate some of these value added services. Perhaps you could find someone to do the concrete work, excavation, etc. Remember that the non-profit is looking at the complete house when they consider cost….any additional services that you are able to provide improves the bottom line for the non-profit and your partnership with them.
Another concern usually raised by Habitats is “Sweat Equity” performed by the receiving families. Each family that gets a Habitat home is required to work on their home or other Habitat homes. The number of hours varies but can range from 200-500 hours. Be prepared to help problem solve how the family can give those hours to the project. We are working to get them alongside our students. This may require a liability waiver or an additional insurance rider on the Habitat insurance policy. In addition, other options will be any site/foundation work, landscaping, final finish after the home is delivered, garage and porch additions. Note that we do not build garages. It is more cost effective for Habitat to build garages and porches on site.
There are no typical building requirements for Habitat. Each Habitat sets its own priorities. Each home is custom designed for the family. Items such as basements, roof pitch, garage and porch, number of bathrooms, hallway and door widths, energy saving requirements, and square footage are determined locally. Recommendations from the national office are trumped by local building codes, subdivision covenants, and the local board of directors. Recommendations* from Habitat of Humanity International include:
1. The living space provided—excluding stairwells (except to a basement) and exterior storage—should not exceed:
• 900 square feet for a two-bedroom house
• 1,070 square feet for a three-bedroom house
• 1,230 square feet for a four-bedroom house
2. The basic house should have only one bathroom and should be accessible to persons with disabilities. The bathroom may be compartmentalized for increased usefulness. Three-bedroom houses may have an additional half bath. Houses with four bedrooms, or five or more people, may have an additional full bathroom.
3. Families should have an opportunity to choose decorative finishes for their house whenever possible.
4. A budget may be established with a predetermined limit (e.g., $1,000) to allow the family to personalize their home with such features as appliances, fencing, shed, etc.
5. Each house should have a covered, primary entrance.
6. When feasible, at least one entrance to the house should be accessible to persons who have difficulty with mobility.
7. All passage doors, including the bathroom door, should be three feet (3') wide. Halls should be three feet and five inches (3' 5") wide from rough frame to rough frame. [Note: if there is a door in the hallway, the minimum width increases to three feet and seven inches (3' 7") from rough frame to rough frame.] These standards allow for simple access for persons with disabilities. Further adaptations may be needed if a family member is disabled.
8. Homes should not have garages or carports.
*Recommendations from Habitat for Humanity House Design Criteria
As you can tell from the length of this article, there are many aspects of the partnership that must be worked through. It is crucial for both groups (the school and the non-profit) to understand that this must be a win-win situation. If the school can’t recover cost or the non-profit can’t get housing at the right price then the partnership is doomed to failure. As a teacher, I always need to put heavy value on the service learning aspect for our students. Our kids find an incredible amount joy and value in being able to help others by doing something that is bigger than themselves.
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