Experience the Cost of Home

We all know that housing costs are a huge issue – especially here in California. In our communities, we see the effects of this every day. So many families struggle to afford the roof over their heads, while still meeting their daily needs.

It’s why Habitat for Humanity launched Cost of Home in June 2019. It’s a five-year advocacy campaign with a bold goal: to help 10 million people gain access to safe, decent, affordable homes. Cost of Home works at the local level, through Habitat organizations and our volunteers, communities, and partners – and mobilizes us to advocate for solutions and smart policies that will make that goal a reality.

We’ve already made that happen for 1.5 million people, but there’s still a long way to go to meet our goal. And to get there, we need your help.

Why does the Cost of Home matter? It’s no secret that affordability is a problem on a national scale. In fact, one in seven families in this country pay half or more of their incomes to stay housed. In California, that statistic is even more dire: one in five. And with the COVID-19 pandemic, the problem only continues to grow.

But of course, this is not just a crisis of numbers. This is a crisis that reaches into homes, forcing families into impossible choices that affect their quality of life. When most of your paycheck is eaten up by your housing costs, how do you cover your other necessities? How do you manage an emergency? How do you invest in your family’s future?

To understand why we need to advocate for a lower Cost of Home, it helps to put ourselves in the shoes of these neighbors who struggle to cover that cost. Click here to visit the interactive Cost of Home Experience, get a firsthand sense of what families face, and learn about ways to take action.