The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Habitat for Humanity chapter, which normally builds one house every semester, plans to build 10 this year—all for university employees who need decent housing.
According to The Daily Tar Heel, the project got its start when the organization’s countywide chapter noticed that 14 of the first 18 applications it received this year for homes came from families whose members include employees of the university. Called Build a Block, the project has dual goals—build five houses a semester and at the same time break down barriers among students, administrators, and faculty and staff members.
Construction begin September 11. Each house costs about $35,000 to build, and Patti Thorp—whose husband is Holden Thorp, the university chancellor—is overseeing fundraising for the project. Mr. Thorp raised the minimum pay for university employees to $25,000 a year in 2008, the article says, but in the Chapel Hill housing market that doesn’t go very far.
Jonathan Reckford, an alumnus of the university who is chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International, said he hoped chapters at other universities would take note. “Build a Block raises the bar for not only those at UNC but other universities with Habitat chapters,” he said.
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7 Responses to Habitat for Humanity Plans 10 Homes for U. of North Carolina Employees
11272784 - October 12, 2010 at 4:01 pm
Does this mean the university is grossly underpaying its employees, or that their employees are a bit opportunistic? Neither seems like good news.
leacampbell - October 12, 2010 at 4:36 pm
@ 11272784 -I think what this says is that within many institutions there is a 2-class system – a reasonably well-paid upper class composed of faculty, administrators, and researchers and a lower class composed of minimal or low-wage support staff such as housekeepers, grounds techs, receptionists etc. I think that we need to constantly be aware of the fact there is often a wide gap between the wages of the top tiers and the lower tiers of employees in a university and to be sensitive to that gap. For example, as we recently discussed furlows, freezing wages, etc. within our university the admininstration felt it was important to hold harmless those permanent employees who fell into the lowest tiers of the salary range.
wdabc - October 13, 2010 at 7:10 am
The federal government defines poverty for a two person household as $15,ooo. It appears that the goals of Habitat for Humanity have grown to wide. There are homeless people in this country who should receive priorty housing over a person with a job earning $25,000 and up.
katisumas - October 13, 2010 at 11:58 am
You have to have a steady income for qualifying for a Habitat house because you will have to pay the mortgage. I seem to remember it’s interst free and it’s at a scale relative to your income.
You also have to be able bodied and have able bodied friends capable of helping with the construction.
I do agree that people below the poverty line and homeless people should have priority in housing, particularly in that the number of homeless families with children is growing everyday, but this particular program, laudable as it is, is not for them.
11272784 - October 13, 2010 at 12:12 pm
I was discussing this last night and was reminded that we have employees at this esteemed land-grant institution who make $10 an hour. That works out to a bit over $20K a year. Now I see where the habitat deal becomes not only attractive, but useful.
13579 - October 14, 2010 at 6:41 am
Good for them for doing something about substandard housing!
First of all, there is a mistake in the article. It costs $70,000 to build a Habitat home in Orange County, $35,000 of which is raised by sponsors and the other half is matched by Habitat Orange County. That also only includes the price of the home itself, not of the land, building new road, etc.
Second, in response to “There are homeless people in this country who should receive priorty housing over a person with a job earning $25,000 and up”– this is not the mission of Habitat. Habitat has proven its success through providing homes for families with stable incomes that could not otherwise afford homes. Homelessness and unemployment are a huge issues, but Habitat has found that before people are going to be able to successfully maintain, and pay back, a house, the project is not sustainable.
By targeting families who have income, yet not enough to ever be able to get a loan for a house themselves, Habitat has shown success in working with a largely under-served population. People who are hard-working, full time employees of a prestigious university cannot afford to give their children a house to grow up in. This is, as someone else said, a perfect example of the income gaps that exist. I hope other universities follow UNC’s lead and work on such an ambitious goal as well!
4913890 - October 14, 2010 at 10:30 am
I agree with the comment 13579′s comment above. Habitat sells houses it doesn’t give them away. I think it’s great that families who are interested in living in Chapel Hill closer to work can now AFFORD to purchase a home.
It’s great that students are involved. I think this is an eye opening experience about real life challenges.