Habitat for Humanity; building more homes;

As developed nations of the world wage war against global terrorism, Church groups in the Philippines and Habitat for Humanity are waging their own war against homelessness.

Habitat for Humanity Philippines, in coordination with the Philippine Solidarity Fund and the Council of the Laity of the Philippines yesterday, launched the Jubilee Homes for the Poor Program.

The program aims to build and provide habitat-type homes to 600 homeless Filipino families of any faith to commemorate the great Jubilee. At present, there are at least 4.8 million homeless Filipinos in the country.

"If we succeed with these 600 houses, people will be made conscious of the problem. This vision will be done. It is everybody’s burden," Antonio delos Reyes, president of Breaking the Yoke of Poverty Foundation, one of the partner groups in the endeavor.

According to its proponents, under the program, 600 Habitat homes will be funded, built and then transferred to qualified Filipino families of any faith.

A typical home will have a floor area of about 30 square meters, and will have a living room, a bedroom, kitchen, a sanitary toilet and bathroom, water and electrical systems and a small mezzanine. Of the number, 30 houses will be built in Montalban, Rizal; 60 houses in Las Piñas, and 400 houses in General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite. The program will formally begin on Oct. 5 with a concert featuring the Wright Sisters of St. Scholastica’s College.

Jubilee Homes for the Poor is now coordinating with the National Housing Authority to identify more sites for the program in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The housing program will be funded by donations from private individuals and corporations who will be invited to make a Jubilee homes grant of $3,000 or P150,000 donated directly to the Philippine Solidarity Fund or through Habitat for Humanity International.

The donated amount will cover the construction cost of the house, supplementary homeowner development training and program administration. The prospective homeowner, those earning about P3,000 monthly and selected by the diocesan bishop, will have to devote 400 man hours for "seat equity" and commit to a 15-year monthly repayment program, or an average of P700 per month.

According to the organizers, the monthly payments will be interest free and will be placed in a fund which will finance other houses. The individual titles will not be transferred to the homeowners but to the community association in order to prevent speculative selling and profit taking. As such, the homeowner may only resell the unit to the community association and will be paid the sum of the homeowner’s payment.

Once a house is constructed, a marker bearing the jubilee logo and the name of the donor will identify it.

According to the organizers, the homeowners will not only be awarded their homes, they will also receive training in primary health and sanitation, environment care and sustainable livelihood.

"We would like to stress that in this activity, we focus on the community. The community must be able to fend for itself and raise the families in these homes," said Jose Lugay, president of the Philippine Solidarity Fund.

In addition to this unique housing program, the organizers of the Jubilee Homes for the Poor, also plan to construct 10,000 hospices for the 25,000 parishes nationwide with money drawn from the fund.

The hospice program aims to provide the poor living outside the community with emergency hospice services. The emphasis will be on the sick, the dying, street children and vagrants.

Those interested in giving their donations to the program or in volunteering their skills in the program are advised to visit the Jubilee Homes for the Poor and room 212 Pope Pius XII Catholic Center along United Nations Avenue in Manila or call 5275331 or 5279028. Interested parties may also send their e-mail at [email protected].