(Text by Pete Porter; Photos by Margaret Porter)
The Habitat for Humanity pledge states:
"Habitat for Humanity's "Building a Greater Los Angeles" campaign is a comprehensive, three-year initiative actively addressing the region's affordable housing crisis. In the next three years, we will complete 250 homes in the Greater Los Angeles area. This campaign will unify people from all walks of life to actively engage in a solution to the affordable housing crisis and will expand our capacity to transform lives and strengthen communities. We are committed to developing tangible solutions to the affordable housing crisis."
 | I visited the site on 112th street where volunteers and Habitat staff members were hard at work building a two story house just North of the 105 Century Freeway. Construction on this house started on May 8th and was well on the way by the time we visited it. They had already completed building a similar house next door and I was told that the land surrounding the current project was large enough for a third house to be built on the site. |  |
 Habitat Coordinator, Melissa Nicholas | We were met by Coordinator, Melissa Nicholas, who told us that the work force consisted of staff members and several volunteers. The number of people that actaully work on the site tends to change from day to day, but can range anywhere from just five to as many as thirty-five. A number of those present were Crew Leaders. Apart from the day-to-day volunteers, some of those present were part of the AmeriCorp program. This is a Federally funded program whare participants spend a year of community service, get a small living allowance and learn the basics about doing construction work. |
Habitat for Humanity has a Lead Acquisition person who goes out and looks for acceptable land. Some of these locations become available when contractors abandon sites due to lack of funds, such as the rebuilding effort that went on following the Los Angeles City riots. Habitat then receives this land from the city at a discount and either finishes the work or builds a new house from scratch.
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The effort is funded by donations and grants from several sources. Habitat has a working relationship with Lowes, where they obtain supplies such as construction, washers, dryers and dishwashers. Appliances are donated by Whirlpool for each house that is constructed. The new owners are required to pay an affordable mortgage, some of which goes back into help fund new locations. New owners are also required to provide their own furnishings, although there is a local home improvement store where, at a discount, they can purchase what they need from the many items that have been donated.
Some landscaping is also included as part of each project and she mentioned that the current lot was definitely large enough to accommodate another house. This would make a total of three buildings at this location.
 Barry Weiss | Before we left we managed to talk to the on-site supervisor, Barry Weiss, and volunteer, Patti Lee, who had just returned from work. |  Patti Lee |