Habitat for All

When an alien [stranger] resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien.
The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you;
you shall love the alien as yourself,
for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 19:33-34  (NRSV)
When a coalition of faith group, including Bridge St. UC in Belleville began the sponsorship process for several Syrian refugee families one question, among many, was where they would live. We successfully brought a family of five to the community, but eventually there were three more families, and two households for grandparents.

I was approached by a member of the Habitat for Humanity group in this area about possibly building homes for two of the families, an idea we certainly hadn't considered. The timing wasn't right for this to happen but it was a wonderful idea. Habitat has existed for more than 40 years building and constructed more than half a million houses worldwide for those who might not be able to afford homes otherwise. The owners are expected to pu 500 hours of "sweat equity" into the construction.



Habitat was begun by an American Christian couple, the Fullers, but the most famous Habitat supporter is former US president Jimmy Carter who along with his wife Rosalynn was still helping on builds into his 90's.

I found out last night that the father in the first family we sponsored in the Fall of 2015 (a Muslim) was involved in the construction of a Habitat home on the Tyendinaga  Mohawk Territory last summer. Two homes were built for families who might not have been able to remain on Tyendinaga and the second household took possession of their home a couple of weeks ago.

It warmed my heart to hear this news. Refugees were welcomed into our midst to begin a new life and stranger became friends. In turn, one of them displayed hospitality and kindness by helping to create a refuge for a First Nations family in need.

Vision: A world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live.

Mission Statement: To mobilize volunteers and community partners in building affordable housing and promoting home ownership as a means to breaking the cycle of poverty.

Values Housing for all: We believe that access to safe, decent and affordable housing is a basic human right that should be available to all.

Human dignity: We believe in the worth and dignity of every human being. We respect the people we serve and those that help us in this effort and recognize them as our greatest resource.

Partnership: We believe we can best achieve our mission through meaningful and mutually beneficial partnerships with others.

Faith in action: We believe that faith is lived through action. Building on our Christian foundation, we serve and work with people of all faiths and beliefs in a spirit of justice and compassion.

Diversity and Inclusiveness: We believe there is a role for everyone committed to our vision, mission and values and we seek to enrich our organization through diversity.

                                                   Sorry, I couldn't resist!