Something wrong with Habitat for humanity - Am I the only one that sees it?

Question

I can't understand the accolades this program gets.
First off, it is a giveaway program - make no mistake about it.
Private yes - giveaway - YES.

Recipients get a home worth about 100k for 360 hours of "sweat equity" and a zero interest mortgage on about a 50K loan ( the other 50k is donated land/materials/labor)
So after calculating the savings on interest, the owners are getting about 120K of value for 50K therefore netting 70K in savings.
This for 360hours of work.
If it were a salaried job, it would pay about 365,000 / year!!

Now about the "sweat equity", let's be honest: Unless you are skilled in framing/siding/electrical etc. your sweat equity is really only token work.

Now I actually don't have a problem with charity. If this program were available to everyone who meets certain qualifications, it would be fine. But it's not.
Boards pick and choose those who qualfy for this massive prize based on their own arbitrary criterea.

Am I the only one who's noticed this?

About the criterea: Is it a popularity contest or is it a competition to be politically correct and pick families that fit into politically favored groups? Certainly more than a few families qualify. How do boards pick whom to award the prize?

Since y'all are still talking:
As I said, I really don't have a problem with the giveaway portion - if we can admit that is what it is.

I have a problem with the SELECTION.
Who is to say that Joe a single father making 25k / year is more qualified than Jane a single mother making 25k / year.

How about this for a solution:
Boards have hard qualifications for entry, salary, number of dependents etc.
Then EVERYONE accepted into the program gets to interview all others and vote for a family besides themselves who they would like to see get the prize. Would'nt that be more fair?

Answer 1

I know that a lot of people run into hard times and bad luck etc... but a I'm kind of uncomfortable with this program too. A lot of these people have lots of kids and a lot of these people couldn't afford kids to begin with. They didn't plan for the future, they just went and mated anyway.They shouldn't be given homes that are worth that much, they should be given homes that are just comfortable, that help them meet their basic needs and that's it. Most likely, these people were bad with their money to begin with, and quite possibly, they will still be bad with their money afterwards. Maybe they should be given just a comfortable home, and a volunteer babysitter. That way, they can work more hours or get a second job and build up some savings. I'm willing to bet my answer will get a lot of thumbs downs from the bleeding-heart types.

Yup, see, there's the first bleeding-heart lol!

For the record,I don't want free stuff... I work for everything I have, and I'm comfortable with that. However, I know that my bf and I cannot afford kids, therefore we don't have any. AND I don't have a problem with educating the children of these people (as you make it sound). The main thing I'm trying to say is that they should be given just comfortable homes, with enough rooms for everybody etc. not homes worth 100k.

Answer 2

You insinuate that the program is not open to everyone because the boards don't allow that. Also, have you ever built a house? There is a LOT more work that just that done by the pros-- simple job site cleaning is worth its weight in GOLD. Also, it would be interesting to see you provide some numbers on the productivity of the people who are given this "handout" after they have a comfortable place to live. I believe they are required to show progress on trying to do become contributing members of society-- something that was exponentially higher when they were worried about shelter. Maybe you could volunteer yout time at a site near you and witness the gratitude, or you could site behind your walls and point at others. Would I like to be given a house for, as you put it, nothing? Absolutely. Do I need that, no, I don't.

Answer 3

It's about giving people a head start, not about market value. They have to do some work, and pay some money, so it is not a handout. I detect that you are a conservative. HAbitat is a faith based organization, and it's doing work the government might otherwise be doing. Who are you to say their criteria are arbitrary? DO you even know what they are? There's no pleasing some people...

Tina: Let me be the first to give you a thumbs down. What's *wrong* with you people??!!!?

Answer 4

you have hit on an common yet undeniable reality that many others, probably alongside with your self, might care to no longer know. In Genesis, you'll be able to desire to comprehend 'why' Eve took from the Tree of expertise. The Serpent advised her that it might make her basically like God. As some answerers have stated, Greed. The Serpent tempted Eve to wish greater advantageous than God on my own could desire to, and became, completely able to giving to her and her mate Adam. Many (ok...maximum) each physique is like this right this moment. they're too sturdy to wish God or they desire to be God like. The Tree of expertise became forbidden by way of fact God knew, even interior the commencing up of mankind, that too a lot expertise could be our downfall. in the previous figuring out to purchase this expertise, mankind became harmless and suitable, with the purpose to place it bluntly, desirous to be a 'know all of it' became a sin. rather of accepting God by utilising faith, mankind is going and keeps blundering issues up. as a result the only thank you to 'restoration' the certainty errors is to get greater expertise. as a result a vicious circle this is unbreakable. i know this feels like an off the wall way of thinking approximately expertise and how damaging that's. yet yet another answerer did state that "lack of expertise is Bliss" and that's! right this moment each physique is attempting to out think of one yet another and not many take something at face cost, much less on faith on my own.

Answer 5

yep, ur right. ur the only one