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Celebrating years of Habitat for Humanity
1976 - 2026
50
Our History
The idea that became Habitat for Humanity first grew from the fertile soil of Koinonia Farm.
Founded in Americus, Georgia, USA, by farmer and biblical scholar Clarence Jordan in 1976, Habitat for Humanity today operates around the globe and has helped build, renovate and repair more than 600,000 decent, affordable houses sheltering more than 3 million people worldwide.
On the farm, Jordan and Habitat’s eventual founders Millard and Linda Fuller developed the concept of “partnership housing.” The concept centered on those in need of adequate shelter working side by side with volunteers to build decent, affordable houses. The houses would be built at no profit. New homeowners’ house payments would be combined with no-interest loans provided by supporters and money earned by fundraising to create “The Fund for Humanity,” which would then be used to build more homes.
In 1973, the Fullers decided to take the Fund for Humanity concept to Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo. After three years of hard work to launch a successful house building program there, the Fullers then returned to the United States and called together a group of supporters to discuss the future of their dream: Habitat for Humanity International, founded in 1976.
More than 65 million people in countries around the world are building their futures on their own terms thanks to access to decent housing.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter partnered with Habitat for Humanity for nearly four decades, transforming the organization from a small grassroots group into a global movement.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on the worksite at the Habitat For Humanity Work Project on October 29, 2007 in San Pedro, California.
Carter Work Project
“We learn about service, we learn about love, and we talk about it. But Habitat lets us put it all into practice.”
— President Jimmy Carter
