two women and a man chat together and work on laptops on couches and chairs in an office setting

Housing Opportunities and Mission Engagement

We believe in a world where everyone — no matter who we are or where we come from — deserves a decent place to live. And we recognize that, to create this world, our work must always break down barriers, bring people of all backgrounds together, and generate equity, respect and lasting change. Details can be found in our Housing Opportunities and Mission Engagement policy (PDF).

In the tradition of the radical inclusivity that infused our birthplace Koinonia Farm, Habitat’s leaders have committed to creating an environment where humility, open communication, dialogue and listening are our standard, to create a space where people of all races, all faiths and all backgrounds come together in common cause.

“Habitat for Humanity International is fiercely committed to doing the work that brings equity to our efforts and helps bring justice to the communities in which we work.”
— Jonathan Reckford, Habitat for Humanity International CEO

In our dedication to diversity, we celebrate, represent and value the differences of those we work with and serve in communities around the world. In our drive for equity, we create processes and practices that ensure everyone involved gets what they need to achieve greater access and fairness in treatment and outcomes. And in our practice of inclusion, we commit to seeing and hearing all those we work with and serve by including the voices and needs of our diverse workforce, communities and residents to build hope and transform lives.

Our vision and values

Habitat’s vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

As we work to fulfill our mission of building homes, communities and hope and putting God’s love into action, we are guided by our core values: humility, courage and accountability.

Habitat’s vision is audacious in its scope. To see a world where everyone has a decent place to live is clearly bigger than any of us at Habitat, and it is bigger than all of us collectively. Being called to something so massive and inspiring is humbling.

Courage coupled with humility allows us to take the necessary risks to live into our mission and move ever closer to our vision. Humility and courage provide the foundation to act wisely.

Holding ourselves and one another accountable from a posture of humility allows us to learn from our mistakes and continually improve our programs, policies and procedures.

Ethics and safeguarding

Habitat is measured not just by the number of families we serve, but by the integrity and quality with which we serve them.

We respect and safeguard the rights and dignities of all people and protect our staff, volunteers, the families with whom we partner and community members from any form of harm, exploitation or abuse. We treat all individuals fairly.

Read our full ethics covenant and code of conduct and our safeguarding policy.

Learn more about raising concerns and how to confidentially and anonymously report any issue or concern that may arise.

Our culture

Habitat for Humanity International is committed to building a diverse, inclusive workforce, and that begins with our talent acquisition team. We endeavor to reach diverse audiences for our openings, are committed to having diverse interviewer panels for candidates and work to educate hiring managers about important issues such as unconscious bias and how to conduct fair and equitable interviewing and hiring processes.

On our journey, we have created employee resource groups to encourage employee engagement, provide opportunities for professional development and internal networking, and inform the implementation of our cultural values of accountability, humility and courage. These groups provide for the inclusion of diverse ideas and solutions and create opportunities for mentoring and career development. 

homeowner in front of new home

Our commitment

While much has been done, so much more work remains. This will never be a world of equality, of fairness and of human decency that leaves no room for poverty, prejudice or violence, unless we build it.

Making homeownership accessible and affordable for families is a critical component in creating that world. The need for our hands, voices, prayers and active participation is greater than ever.

Building the Beloved Community

Habitat is working to create what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called “the Beloved Community” — we will do the work in our practices, our programs and our networks to put equity and justice at the forefront of our efforts and bring that mission to the communities in which we work.

Learn more

Historic housing discrimination in the U.S.

Too many among the general public aren’t aware that the egregious racial disparities in America that exist today — in education, employment, health and wealth — are linked to Black families’ exclusion from accessing decent and affordable shelter – something we all need to thrive.

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