Founded in 1989, Bryan/College Station Habitat for Humanity built its first home in 1990 with the Gonzalez family. Since then, we have given 292 families the opportunity to build and purchase their own decent, affordable homes.
This past academic year, the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University selected our organization for a Capstone project to study the impact of Habitat homeownership on quality of life. The team of eight graduate students, led by Dr. Domonic Bearfield, conducted face-to-face, in-depth interviews with 22 current B/CS Habitat homeowners. The interviews focused on five subjects: education, personal economics, safety, health and wellness and community participation. The team also interviewed five city employees for their perspective on the impact of B/CS Habitat in the community.
The results of the study show improvement in all subject areas. They have made us even more committed to our mission of bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope! Highlights from the study are listed below, and we encourage you to read the full report.
Education
82% of the interviewees felt better about their children’s future since moving into their Habitat homes. The same percentage said their children’s grades improved.
“I am way more confident now because I am able to maintain a steady mortgage and get them into programs that I know will help them succeed in life instead of worrying about them finding alternative things to do in the streets.”
Personal Economics
59% of the interviewees reported that their financial situations improved after moving into their Habitat homes. Additionally, 82% of the interviewees thought that saving for the future is really important.
“I think it’s very important to save for the future, because a while ago, my hot water heater busted, and I wasn’t prepared for it. So it did put me in a financial bind to try and go get another one. But since then, I have learned to put something back.”
Safety
100% of the interviewees reported feeling safe inside their habitat homes. Additionally, they felt generally positive about their children’s safety in the new neighborhood compared to previous neighborhoods.
“I feel more safe in my Habitat home because, in the apartments, we always had people hanging out in front. And now, I really don’t have to worry about that, because like I said, there’s really no crime or violence in our neighborhood.”
Health & Wellness
Almost half of the interviewees mentioned they visit the doctor less consistently since moving into their Habitat homes.
72% of the interviewees mentioned that they use their Habitat homes for family gatherings more frequently than before.
“When we do have family gatherings, everybody comes there because it’s a house, and they come more frequently.”
Community Participation
91% of the interviewees reported they have a good relationship with their neighbors. Additionally, 77% of the interviewees said they always or sometimes keep watch on their neighbors’ houses while away.
“I have very good neighbors. When houses were going up, my house was the second house to go up. I helped on the first house, and I helped on all the other houses, and we kinda just all did it together.”
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