Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Solving the National Affordable Housing Crisis With Mercy Housing

Nov 29, 2017 2:35 PM ET
Campaign: Connecting Business to Cause

Every day, millions of Americans have to sacrifice food, education, and healthcare because the cost of housing is so high. The numbers are grim: only one out of every four households who needs housing assistance gets it; more than one in four renters pays more than half of their income on housing costs; and nationwide waiting lists for affordable housing are years long. Many lists aren’t even open to new applicants because the backlog is so enormous. The lack of affordable housing affects millions nationwide, and people who have full time jobs are not immune: the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) notes that someone has to make $21.21 per hour in order to afford a two-bedroom rental home at Fair Market Rent. Of the people fortunate enough to receive federal housing assistance in 2015, 81 percent of those households are elderly, have a disability, or are working in jobs that don’t keep up with the cost of housing.

This country’s lack of affordable housing negatively impacts communities big and small, urban and rural. When housing becomes unaffordable, families have to constantly move. Kids switch schools and struggle to succeed academically. Millions are forced to live paycheck to paycheck, unable to further their education. High housing costs trap people in cycles of poverty from which it is nearly impossible to escape. For Americans who are more privileged, the lack of affordable housing may also one day affect them. Very few people, if any at all, are completely immune from the rising costs of housing in this country.

If left unaddressed, the affordable housing crisis will get worse. The millions of people who are currently suffering from the high cost of housing will continue to suffer, and millions more will join their ranks.

Through a donation to Mercy Housing, you can help address this national crisis. Mercy Housing helps people live to their full potential by developing, financing, and operating affordable housing with Resident Services for families, veterans, seniors, and people with disabilities. Your support provides homes, job skills training, health screenings, tutoring and much more. For example, here are a few ways your donation can help:

  • $150 ($6.25 per pay period) provides computer and internet access for resident children to do homework
  • $360 ($15 per pay period) allows a child to participate in the “KidzLit” and “KidzScience” afterschool programming for an entire year!
  • $400 a month fully stocks a food bank that’s open 2 times a month
  • $850 ($35.42 per pay period) provides a physical activity program for one year

Support Mercy Housing through your employee giving program:
As a donor, you can support Mercy Housing by donating to them through your employer’s workplace giving program (CFC# 81117 if you're a military or federal employee participating in the Combined Federal Campaign). Payroll pledges made through employer-sponsored charitable giving programs represent a cost effective and near effortless way to support your favorite charities.

As Mercy Housing’s workplace giving partner, America’s Charities can help your company design and implement a program centered on supporting their work - through workplace giving campaigns, employee fundraising, cause-focused signature programs, volunteerism, donation drives, matching gifts, Dollars-for-Doers, In-Kind Giving and other employee engagement and philanthropic initiatives. Click here to request a demo and learn how we can help you do this.