About Poverty Housing

Everyone deserves a decent place to live

Poverty housing is the fundamental ‘mark’ of poverty. Our house reflects our status in the world, who we are, what we do, our aspirations and our inspiration. Poverty housing damages people's lives in so many ways. It traps people in poverty, keeping the poorest people poor and affecting their chances of building a better future.

It causes insecurity: City dwellers in developing countries need up to 12.5 times their annual income to buy a modest house. (UN Habitat, 2001). So most people rent. But this leaves them very vulnerable: for example, they may find themselves evicted without notice. And rented accommodation is built to lower standards which can leave them very vulnerable (e.g. in earthquake zones, rented accommodation is seldom earthquake resistant).

Be a HopeBuilder and help break the cycle of poverty

It promotes disease and ill health: Lack of sanitation and overcrowding contribute to the rapid spread of disease, especially in urban areas. Damp walls and unsurfaced floors can cause respiratory problems, whilst insects and even snakes and rats may live in straw and thatch roofing or poorly constructed walls, and they in turn cause and spread disease. Living in such an environment can result in serious health problems especially to children.

It makes it hard to get a job or an education: People can't hold down jobs and children cannot attend school when they are too ill, or always having to find somewhere new to live. In any case, education for children is low priority to parents struggling to survive.

It's a depressing cycle – the cycle of poverty – an all too common list of barriers to personal, family and community development, but HopeBuilding with Habitat for Humanity can overcome them and bring dramatic, lasting change.