Our Habitat for Humanity Chapter at UMBC was established with the explicit goals to create community awareness and action against homelessness and poverty housing and to foster partnerships and cooperatives among the community, all while involving and offering a rich educational and life experience to the students at UMBC.
We take a multifaceted approach to accomplishing these goals, utilizing the energy and vigor of the student community to create outreach and educational events to enrich and recruit the student population at UMBC. Simultaneously, we work with Sandtown Habitat, our affiliate site in West Baltimore, in order to build affordable and decent housing for Baltimore residents that are currently living in substandard or poverty housing. Currently, we have completed two houses (1400 and 1432 Presstman Street) and are working on our third house on Baker Street.
Our chapter also hosts events such as the annual Act, Speak, Build week every spring, conducting a weeklong, overnight sleepout next to the student union to raise awareness across campus about the problems of poverty housing and homelessness in America and abroad. We understand that building residences is only half the struggle, and that building a community and an awareness among it is crucial to eliminating substandard housing, and that is why we place a large focus on educational and awareness events, as well as the houses we build.
Simply put, our group is that of hardworking, focused students that can identify some of the social ills surrounding ourselves and are willing to dedicate the time and energy to make a positive change in this world. We are not experienced carpenters, lobbyists, or seasoned activists, but we understand the problems and a specific need for change, and so we learn, adapt, and gain the skills necessary to bring about the change that we seek to make.
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