Each year since 1985, the United Nations has designated the first Monday in October as World Habitat Day. This year, that means October 4. The purpose of the day is to increase awareness about the great need for adequate housing for all.

A focus on grassroots action and uniting people toward a single goal—to eradicate poverty housing—makes World Habitat Day an important day of learning and doing. Habitat for Humanity helps organizations and individuals plan events focused on education, advocacy and fundraising.

World Habitat Day events will be held in six cities in the U.S. during the week of October 3 – 8. Volunteers, including former President Carter and Mrs. Carter and other celebrities, will join Habitat for Humanity families in building and rehabilitating homes in Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Annapolis, MD, Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN, and Birmingham, AL.

Why is adequate shelter important?
Substandard dwellings leave people vulnerable to disease, malnutrition, crime and natural disasters. All human beings have the right to adequate shelter.

How many people live in unacceptable conditions?
Worldwide, one billion people live in slums and shantytowns. By 2030, that number is expected to double to two billion.

What can we do?
Anyone can participate in local events to bring hope to the 1.6 billion people worldwide who lack adequate shelter.

Plan your own event: Hold a concert, a dance, a yard sale or a home rehab project in your town.
Publicize the issue: Talk about ways to raise awareness and increase involvement in this issue. Write a letter, speak to a group, or just tell a friend about the need for housing in the world today.

Post a photo: The World Habitat Day Photo Wall features pictures of people holding signs that answer the question: “What would you build?”

Ask our elected officials to help: Send an email or make a phone call to voice support for increasing the focus of foreign aid on expanding access to basic shelter and affordable housing at home and around the world.

Good housing for all is good for everyone. It improves the health of children, decreases the crime rate, lengthens the average life span and helps kids stay in school—which improves their chances for full employment as adults. And homeowners are more likely to work toward improving their communities by volunteering and voting.

It’s easy to make a difference in the world on World Habitat Day. Small efforts add up to big changes for impoverished people everywhere.

October 5, 2009 has been designated World Habitat Day by the United Nations. Its purpose is to call attention to the dire need worldwide for safe, adequate and affordable housing. According to the United Nations, more than 100 million people in the world today are homeless, while millions more live without adequate sanitation, electricity and security. One out of three city dwellers lives in a slum.

The need is truly staggering—more than 2 million housing units per year for 50 years are needed to solve the present crisis. Yet, even if they were all built, at the rate the population is growing, there will still be a need for another 1 billion housing units.

What can we do? The first step is to just be aware—and to care. Most of us are lucky to have more than adequate housing—we’re comfortable enough to have a difficult time imagining what it must be like to lack sanitary facilities and clean water for our families. Compared to most of the world, we live in luxury.

The housing crisis is not just some other nation’s problem—it’s a problem we can all come together to do something about. Advocating for change is the next step toward transforming the existing systems that perpetuate the global plague of poverty housing.

In the US, about 95 million people—one-third of the population, have housing problems such as high-cost, overcrowding, poor quality, and homelessness. These conditions contribute to health problems such as childhood asthma, viral infections, anemia and stunted growth. Approximately 180 children die each year in the U.S. due to house fires attributable to inadequate electrical systems and faulty heating.

Change can happen. Advocate for it by asking Congress to pass legislation to prioritize affordable housing. Educate yourself and your community about the problem here at home and around the globe. And donate to Habitat for Humanity’s efforts to end the global housing crisis.