“We’re building with families, not for families. We’re giving people a hand up, not a handout.” That is how Gary Klass, Illinois State University associate professor of Politics and Government and project director for the ISU-IWU Habitat for Humanity chapter, describes the organization’s community-focused mission.
The Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University chapter of Habitat for Humanity is part of an international social movement which has built more 350,000 houses, housing 1.75 million people, in nearly 90 countries since 1976. The joint collegiate chapter was formed in 1994 and currently has around 450 student members. In partnership with Habitat for Humanity of McLean County, the ISU-IWU chapter has built at least one home every year since 1995. Student volunteers are involved with every aspect of a building project, including landscaping, framing, siding, roofing, drywall, insulation and trim. The only exceptions are tasks which require skilled labor such as the electrical and plumbing.
Habitat families also contribute hundreds of hours of labor to help build the houses they will eventually own and occupy. Families selected as Habitat clients are low-income working people from across the Bloomington-Normal community who live in sub-standard housing. Families chosen for homes must also be able to make their monthly payments on the no-interest loan for their home.
“There is a dire lack of affordable housing in this community,” said Tom Gerschick, associate professor of sociology and Habitat chapter co-advisor. “By working with families, Habitat can help renters become homeowners. When a family owns a home they develop a stronger commitment to the neighborhood where they live, which in turn makes a stronger community. They also begin to improve their own economic situation through tax breaks for home ownership.”
Klass and Gerschick note that Habitat families’ incomes are typically below 50 percent of the median household income and that the adults in the families are quite often service sector employees who work multiple jobs to make ends meet. “Habitat for Humanity’s work addresses a lot of socio-economic issues,” said Klass. “More than half of the homes we have built have been for single mothers and their children. Many of those women were not getting child support payments and were working very hard to support their kids. Instead of paying rent, families apply the money toward a mortgage on their own home. In turn, their mortgage payments help to fund future Habitat homes.”
In addition to addressing critical socio-economic issues, the work of the ISU-IWU Habitat chapter gets students directly involved in the local community. Students gain a great deal of construction experience working on job sites, but Gerschick feels the most valuable lessons are learned when the students see how building homes, improving the lives of families, and strengthening communities go hand in hand.
“Students see how powerful a simple idea can be,” said Gerschick. “The work of our Habitat for Humanity chapter is really an embodiment of Illinois State’s commitment to service learning and civic engagement. Students have the opportunity to give something very tangible back to the community and they have a chance to work side by side with the families that benefit from it. The students and the families really get to know each other during the building process and begin to share common bonds and connections. The families also love working with the students.”
The ISU-IWU Habitat chapter is currently at work on its 17th house. Klass and Gerschick say they want to ramp up efforts and begin consistently building two houses every year. The key to that is fundraising. The collegiate chapter raises money in the Bloomington-Normal community to pay for construction. Each Habitat home in McLean County costs between $60,000-$70,000 to build. One of the chapter’s biggest fundraisers is the annual Trick-or-Treat for change event. Close to 500 students in costume went door-to-door this Halloween for the seventh annual fundraiser and collected more than $16,000.
The ISU-IWU Habitat for Humanity chapter has received a great deal of recognition for the work it is doing in the Bloomington-Normal community. The chapter was chosen as the 2010 Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter of the Year from among more than 500 campus chapters across the nation. In 2006, the ISU-IWU chapter and Habitat for Humanity of McLean County were selected as first finalist for the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Partnership Award for Campus-Community Collaboration. The $7,000 first finalist award is given to universities and community groups who demonstrate commitment to improving their communities.
