Learn more about how Habitat began

Koinonia Farm and the Fund for Humanity

The concept that grew into Habitat for Humanity was born in the USA at Koinonia Farm, a small, interracial, Christian farming community. Koinonia Farm was founded in 1942 outside of Americus, Georgia, by farmer and biblical scholar Clarence Jordan and others to promote racial reconciliation.

Millard and Linda Fuller first visited Koinonia in 1965. They had recently left a successful business and an affluent lifestyle in Montgomery, Alabama, to begin a new life of Christian service.

At Koinonia, Jordan and 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 simple, decent houses.

The houses would be built at no profit and interest would not be charged on the loans. Building costs would be financed by a revolving fund called “The Fund for Humanity.” The fund’s money would come from the new homeowners’ house payments, no-interest loans provided by supporters and money earned by fundraising activities. The monies in the Fund for Humanity would be used to build more houses.

An open letter to the friends of Koinonia Farm told of the new future for Koinonia:

“What the poor need is not charity but capital, not caseworkers but co-workers. And what the rich need is a wise, honorable and just way of divesting themselves of their overabundance. The Fund for Humanity will meet both of these needs. Money for the fund will come from shared gifts by those who feel they have more than they need and from non-interest bearing loans from those who cannot afford to make a gift but who do want to provide working capital for the disinherited…The fund will give away no money. It is not a handout.”

The Inception of Habitat for Humanity

In 1968, Koinonia laid out 42 half-acre house sites with four acres reserved as a community park and recreational area. Capital was donated from around the country to start the work. Homes were built and sold to families in need at no profit and no interest. The basic model of Habitat for Humanity was begun.

Testing in Africa

In 1973, the Fullers decided to apply the Fund for Humanity concept in developing countries. The Fuller family moved to Mbandaka, Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Fullers’ goal was to offer affordable yet adequate shelter to 2,000 people. After three years of hard work to launch a successful house building program, the Fullers returned to the United States.

Habitat for Humanity International

In September 1976, Millard and Linda called together a group of supporters to discuss the future of their dream. Habitat for Humanity International as an organization was born at this meeting. The eight years that followed, vividly described in Millard Fuller’s book, Love in the Mortar Joints, proved that the vision of a housing ministry was workable. Faith, hard work and direction set Habitat for Humanity on its successful course.

Phenomenal Growth

In 1984, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn took their first Habitat work trip, the Jimmy Carter Work Project, to New York City. Their personal involvement in Habitat’s ministry brought the organization national visibility and sparked interest in Habitat’s work across the nation.

Habitat for Humanity experienced a dramatic increase in the number of new affiliates around the country, and across the globe.

The Results

Through the work of Habitat, hundreds of thousands of low-income families have found new hope in the form of affordable housing. Companies, churches, community groups, governments and others have joined together to successfully tackle a significant social problem – safe, decent, affordable housing for all.

Today, Habitat for Humanity has built, rehabilitated and repaired homes for millions of people in thousands of communities in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Eastern and Western Europe, and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.