Building a Greater Los Angeles Families Can Take Pride In

Angels Among Us

by Jill Weinlein

Remember the children's story The House that Jack Built? In the greater Los Angeles area there is The House that Youth Built. Habitat for Humanity's, "Build a Greater Los Angeles" three-year goal is to build 250 homes to address the city's housing crisis. Co-chairmen Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa have joined to combat this ever-growing problem.

The Need One of the poorest counties in the United States is Los Angeles. The median home price is $525,000 and 80% of our residents can't afford to buy a home. Nearly 29 percent of our children are living in poverty in overcrowded conditions that are not a safe and stable environment. The fortunate ones live with multiple families in a garage, apartment, or home. Some live in cars, motels, or on the streets. There are 82,000 homeless people that don't have a place to call home.

Nickels for Nails Young people in our city, ages 5 to 25, are learning about this huge social problem through Habitat for Humanity's yearly campaigns and are pledging to make a difference. Their goal this year is to raise $100,000 to build a safe, affordable, and decent home for a deserving family. This year's campaign, "Nickels for Nails", will show children that donating spare nickels can make a difference for a needy family. Youths participating in the program will have an opportunity to meet the deserving family and attend groundbreaking and house warming ceremonies. Over 45 schools in the greater Los Angeles area have signed up to participate along with ten youth groups (girl and boy scout troops) to reach this goal. Even the UCLA and USC college Habitat for Humanity chapters are participating.

Building a Stronger Community A national study by the Corporation for National and Community Service in collaboration with the U.S. Census Bureau stated that "young people engaged in service opportunities are less likely to engage in risky behavior and more likely to feel connected to their communities and perform better in school than their counterparts who don't volunteer." Youth volunteers have a sense of doing something worthwhile for others and making a difference in the world.

Taking It To The Schools Pat Genovese, principal of St. Joan of Arc School in West Los Angeles, was a second grade teacher last year before receiving a much-deserved promotion. She discovered Habitat for Humanity's ACT, SPEAK, BUILD 2007 campaign through the Internet and enthusiastically involved her second grade class. In addition to writing letters to state representatives, senators and the editor of the Los Angeles Times informing them of the need in the greater Los Angeles area for affordable housing, her class made welcome cards for the Habitat's new homeowners and sent newsletters to parents informing them of their involvement. During class, Pat brainstormed with her students for more ways to make a positive change in the world and, at their back to school night, the kids displayed their work to educate others. The Greater Los Angeles Habitat for Humanity rewarded their excellent work with a certificate of excellence and a pizza party. Pat got goose bumps when she recalled one of her students saying, "I know I can make a difference." "Our involvement in the campaign was contagious," she states. "I would come home excitedly sharing the day with my family. When my daughter went off to Laurence University in Wisconsin last September, she immediately put her name in at Habitat for Humanity to build a home in Wisconsin for a needy family."

Help From Old Friends Former U.S. President, and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Jimmy Carter, and his wife, Rosalynn joined state and city officials last month in Los Angeles to help generate awareness of our crises. They helped with homes being built in San Pedro and one in Watts. The Jimmy Carter Work Project (JCWP) chose Los Angeles as this year's host city and committed to help 100 families with a new or rehabilitated home in Los Angeles by the end of this year.

Making Homes Safer Another new program, "A Brush with Kindness", offers help to homeowners unable to maintain their own home due to physical or financial reasons. Volunteers from Habitat for Humanity work with the homeowner to make the home safe, clean, and habitable.

The Enduring Impact I met Johnny Arthur Williams III at the San Pedro building site. When he was nine years old, his family moved into a Habitat house and their lives changed. They developed self-respect, hope, and dignity. Williams and his friends on the Habitat street grew to become first generation college graduates. Majoring in Economics, he now works for Citi Bank-Smith Barney (a gold level Habitat supporter), and volunteers his time to help build homes for others in need. "Children feed off their parents' excitement of moving into a Habitat home. It instantly transforms the family," states Williams.

For More Information If you would like your child's school to get involved in this worthwhile "Nickels for Nails" campaign, log onto www.habitatla.org to participate. Click on "Our Programs" and then "Learn about our Youth Programs". Parents, teachers, and youth leaders can sign up and receive contribution containers and download curriculum plans to educate young minds about Los Angeles' growing poverty problem.

Jill Weinlein is the mother of two and resides in La Canada. She can be reached at weinlein@familymagazinegroup.com