+ you thought leadership series

To mark Mental Health Awareness Month, Habitat for Humanity International hosted +You: The vital links between mental health and housing, exploring the ways in which stable, affordable housing is deeply connected to mental health services for populations throughout society.

While many Americans do not see eye-to-eye on every issue, the country feels more divided than ever. In our society, people increasingly define themselves by what they are against, rather than what they believe in. In his new book, The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens, NY Times bestselling author and foreign policy expert Dr. Richard Haass calls for Americans to re-envision the very notion of citizenship and embrace the civic responsibilities required to live in a thriving democracy. This virtual discussion will explore ways to foster collaboration across divides and examine the meaning of citizenship today.

Housing and climate change are inextricably linked. According to the United Nations, 3 billion people around the world will need access to adequate shelter by 2030. Bold action must address this growing gap, and at the same time, meaningfully advance mitigation and adaptation efforts globally.

This virtual panel explores takeaways from COP27, the U.N. climate conference, examine the impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities and discuss the importance of prioritizing integrated approaches that center around people.

Americans are weary. We all feel the weight of the divisiveness that has become engrained in our culture, creating stress in families and among friends. Forging meaningful relationships through service is a powerful way to overcome today’s polarization and remind us of what we can accomplish together.

On Oct. 24, 2022, Habitat for Humanity CEO Jonathan Reckford hosted leaders from the Anti-Defamation League and Interfaith America for a multi-faith discussion exploring the ways we can build bridges and work toward a common purpose in communities across the country.

Since Russia’s invasion in February, humanitarian needs in Ukraine and the region have skyrocketed, creating the fastest-growing refugee crisis in the world. According to the United Nations, at least 12 million people have been uprooted, with more than 6 million refugees fleeing to nearby countries in Europe and the same number displaced within Ukraine itself. With winter looming, soaring energy prices and increased cost-of-living, the challenges are far-reaching and urgent.

On Wednesday, October 12, 2022, Habitat for Humanity International hosted a virtual discussion exploring the immediate and future challenges facing families and communities.

Americans are struggling to cope with rising inflation, increasing costs and the Federal Reserve’s decision to raise mortgage interest rates. But when it comes to alleviating the pressures on families and household budgets, we should talk about the cost of housing.

On Aug. 10, 2022, Habitat for Humanity International hosted +You: In Conversation with Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics. In this one-on-one discussion, Habitat’s CEO Jonathan Reckford and Zandi explore the current economic landscape, its impact on affordable homeownership today and the outlook for the months ahead. 

Families in rural communities face unique housing challenges. Working together, Habitat for Humanity International and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are leveraging loan and grant programs, incentivizing private investments and strengthening neighborhood revitalization efforts to support the homeownership dreams of families across the nation.

On Wednesday, July 20, 2022, Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford hosted +You: In Conversation with Xochitl Torres Small, USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development to discuss the critical role that affordable, decent homes have on the success of rural communities. They explore the connection between racial equity and affordable homeownership and the ways Habitat and USDA Rural Development are partnering to increase accessibility and strengthen rural community development.

With new 3D-printed homes hitting the market from Virginia to India, esteemed shelter journalist Miriam Axel-Lute and experts from across the housing sector joins this discussion exploring the advancements and challenges of 3D-printing technology, as well as its scalability in low, middle and high-resource settings around the world.

Habitat for Humanity believes everyone deserves a safe, decent and affordable place to call home. To address the acute shortage of affordable shelter, global leaders in housing are investing in multi-faceted approaches to increase supply, reduce the cost of materials, lower regulatory burdens and increase efficiencies. These urgent challenges require innovative solutions to accelerate accessibility for families and communities.

This panel kicks off a series on innovations in housing that will highlight cutting edge technologies and nonconventional methods aimed at addressing the global housing shortage of affordable housing. This conversation is part of Habitat for Humanity’s ongoing +You series bringing together experts from across the U.S. and around the world to discuss how housing intersects and interacts with other areas of societal concern including public health, racial equity, faith and the economy.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned “the Beloved Community” based on justice, friendship, equal opportunity and human dignity. Through volunteering and service we can build more equitable and just communities to underpin racial equity, expand civic opportunities and foster respect for individual differences.

For over 35 years, nonprofits, businesses and community members have gathered on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day to honor his life, legacy and continue on the path toward justice he paved. To mark the 2022 National Day of Service, Habitat for Humanity hosted +You: Building the Beloved Community through inclusive volunteering. This virtual event explores the impact service and volunteerism can have in uniting communities and responding to society’s most urgent challenges. The conversation emphasizes the importance of engaging young leaders to address systemic inequities to build a better future and create the Beloved Community of Dr. King’s dream.

Learn more about serving with Habitat AmeriCorps.

By 2030, 60% of urban residents will be children living mostly in slums and informal settlements across Africa and Asia. Many children and families that migrate to cities are excluded from formal housing and networked infrastructures for various reasons including lack of local government resources, markets that struggle to meet the demand for accessible housing, and inefficient regulatory environments. Often low-income households are pushed to peripheries and precarious locations due to limited affordability and choice. These marginalized households and communities are particularly susceptibility to the impacts of pandemics, disasters and climate change because of their already compromised health and living conditions.

To mark World Children’s Day, Habitat for Humanity hosted +You: Prioritizing children’s access to housing around the world. This virtual panel discussion examines the impact of children living in inadequate housing globally and highlight the ways it is driving poverty and inequity. From cognitive development to health and education, a child’s well-being is fundamentally linked to the quality of their housing. The COVID-19 pandemic and growing climate crisis are further compounding existing social and economic inequalities for these children and threatening their ability to thrive. Ensuring adequate housing for children today is foundational for our shared sustainable future.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1 in 7 households — more than 17 million — were paying half or more of their incomes on a place to live. The pandemic has only deepened these challenges for many, and a record shortage of affordable homes is locking out first-time and lower-income homebuyers. 

Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford hosted a discussion with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. This discussion explores how the administration is prioritizing investments in home affordability and equity to address our country’s growing housing challenges.  

Watch a virtual discussion, featuring experts from international organizations, private sector and academia, which explores global housing advances emerging from this pandemic. The discussion opens with remarks from Ron Terwilliger, chairman emeritus of Trammell Crow Residential Company, chairman emeritus of the Habitat for Humanity International board of directors and current chair of the advisory board for Habitat’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter.

Featured panelists:

Gayatri Datar, Co-founder and CEO, EarthEnable 
Charly Ligety, Managing Director, The Housing Innovation Collaborative 
André Nogueira, associate researcher and instructor, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Sameh Wahba, Global Director, Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land Global Practice, The World Bank 
Lizan Kuster, Moderator, Associate Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Habitat for Humanity International  

Watch a virtual discussion with experts across the housing world about the provocative ideas they have about making a dent in the housing shortage. The American housing challenge is multi-faceted and must be addressed using a number of strategies. 

Featured panelists:

Raphael Bostic, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
David Dworkin, President and CEO, National Housing Conference
Jonathan Reckford, CEO, Habitat for Humanity International (Moderator)
Edward Seiler, Executive Director, Research Institute for Housing America, Mortgage Bankers Association

Watch a virtual discussion from national leaders and housing advocates about policy solutions to address supply and preservation of homes; equitable access to credit; optimized land use for affordable homes; and access to and development of communities of opportunity.

Featured panelists:

Anna Caballero, California State Senator
Henry Cisneros, Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Tony Pickett, Chief Executive Officer, Grounded Solutions Network
Dan Rosensweig (moderator), President & CEO, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville

COVID-19 has worsened a wide range of inequities globally, in areas such as race, gender, education, food security and housing. The trend poses daunting challenges for international development organizations, which are having to reassess what role they should play in helping narrow those widening gaps, both within countries and between countries. But the pandemic also has exposed the power of leadership, public policy and new ideas. How can leaders at the local, national and global levels effectively address stubborn disparities that have, for far too long, been overlooked?

On May 13, 2021, Habitat hosted +You: Confronting global inequities exacerbated by the pandemic — a virtual discussion from leaders in international development about the gaps made wider by COVID-19 and the approaches that can help us close them in a world forever changed by the pandemic. 

Featured panelists:

Patrick Canagasingham, Chief Operating Officer, Habitat for Humanity International  
Raj Kumar, founding President and Editor-in-Chief, Devex (moderator)
Dr. Joan Nyanyuki, Executive Director, African Child Policy Forum 
Julia Sánchez, Secretary General, ActionAid International 
Sofía Sprechmann Sineiro, Secretary General, CARE International  

The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized how critical home is to the safety and security of every one of us. For over a year, people have sheltered in their houses due to the global health crisis. And yet, there are so many who do not have access to a safe and affordable place to live. In this live stream, panelists discussed why companies should prioritize shelter as part of their philanthropic efforts, the role of cause marketing initiatives in aligning brand value and social responsibility, and the impact that a corporate giving program can have on its employees, customers and communities.

We also discussed the vital role that safe, decent and affordable housing plays in our lives, and heard from a Habitat homeowner and the difference a home has made in their family’s lives.

Featured panelists:

Lee Bird, Chairman of the Board and CEO for At Home
Lisa Gordon, President and CEO, Atlanta Habitat for Humanity
Christine Rasche, Senior Manager, Residential Education, Product Launch and Literature at Carrier
Colleen Finn Ridenhour, Chief Development Officer at Habitat for Humanity International
Megan Strand, Communications Director at Engage for Good (Moderator)

As we mark the 35th anniversary of the federal observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we reflect on Dr. King’s vision of “the Beloved Community” — a community that includes diversity and allows for tension undergirded by love and leads to transformation. As we turn the page on 2020 — a year that compelled us to wrestle with the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and a legacy of systemic racism — how will we move forward to build that Beloved Community?

On Jan. 22, 2021, Habitat for Humanity hosted +You: Building the Beloved Community, a virtual discussion about the opportunities before us and the challenges we must still overcome. Particular focus will be given to the role that safe, decent and affordable housing plays in the Beloved Community, and how organizations like Habitat can orient their work through an equity lens. Participants will also discuss the prospects for change following the inauguration of the Biden-Harris administration.

Panelists include:

Thomas Wilson Mitchell, Law professor at Texas A&M University and 2020 MacArthur Fellow
Jonathan Reckford, CEO, Habitat for Humanity International
Natosha Reid Rice, Global diversity, equity and inclusion officer, Habitat for Humanity International
Errin Haines, Editor at large & co-founder, The 19^th (moderator)

Women are at the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are also disproportionately bearing the costs of the economic downturn. At a time when staying home has become the first line of defense against the virus, what role is safe and decent housing playing in supporting women during the pandemic?

On March 11, 2021, marking International Women Build Week, Habitat hosted +You: Women, housing and the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing together experts and leaders from around the world to discuss what the pandemic has revealed and changed about the status of women, and about how safe, decent and healthy housing has never been more important in supporting their stability and opportunity. We also heard from a Habitat homeowner who has served at the front lines of the pandemic.

Through International Women Build Week, Habitat for Humanity International and Lowe’s partner to build houses in the United States, Canada and India, and shine the spotlight on the global need for safe and affordable housing, particularly for women-led households.  

In this discussion on the eve of Veterans’ Day, experts discussed COVID-19’s impact on veterans’ mental, physical and emotional health and what policy changes are needed to help veterans better access affordable housing.

Veterans encounter unique and complex challenges as they transition from military to civilian life, including obtaining services such as housing, employment, education and healthcare. With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to surge across the United States, it has become increasingly harder for veterans to get the support they need. In this discussion on the eve of Veterans’ Day, experts will discuss:

• COVID-19’s impact on veterans’ mental, physical and emotional health.
• The pandemic’s role in making veterans’ access to essential services such as housing even more challenging.
• What policy changes are needed to ensure veterans have greater access to affordable housing.

Panelists include:

Stephen Peck, President & CEO, U.S. Vets
Sean Walker, Manager, Strategic Partnerships and Programs, The Home Depot Foundation
Anthony Luton, Veteran and Habitat Philidelphia partner homeowner
Mark Andrews, Senior Vice President, International Operations, Habitat for Humanity International
Corinne O’Connell, CEO, Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia

This discussion coincided with the release of two new reports, including one that makes the case for investing in housing to promote economic and social recovery in emerging economies hit hard by the pandemic. Panelists will focus on new evidence that the housing sector can stimulate economies – even more so than official statistics indicate. Development agencies, governments, the private sector and other key players in emerging market economies should take notice.

During the discussion, which took place on World Habitat Day, panelists also will address how valuable healthy, adequate homes have been during the pandemic, including for families who have taken out microloans to improve their homes.

Panelists include:

Ariel Cano Cuevas, managing director for Alsis Funds Mexico
Debra Erb, managing director of Housing Real Estate Project Finance at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
Marja Hoek-Smit, director of the International Housing Finance Program of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center
Dhaval Monani, founder and managing director of First Home Realty Solutions Pvt. Ltd and a pioneer of the affordable housing space in India
Patrick Kelley, vice president of Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter

Seniors have been uniquely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this discussion, we hear from experts about the challenges that older Americans are facing, as well as discuss holistic approaches that have been taken to address senior care during the pandemic.

Panelists include:

Dr. Alice Bonner, director of strategic partnerships for CAPABLE and adjunct faculty, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
Dan Soliman, director of housing impact, AARP Foundation
Jonathan Reckford, CEO, Habitat for Humanity International
Janice Watkins, CEO, Topeka Habitat for Humanity

In this discussion, we hear the stories of professional athletes who grew up in Habitat homes. They discuss the role that their Habitat homes played in their personal and professional success.

Panelists include:

Adrianna “A.D” Franch, Goalkeeper, U.S. Women’s National Team and World Cup Champion
Malcolm Mitchell, Wide Receiver, New England Patriots - Retired, Super Bowl Champion and Founder & CEO, Share the Magic Foundation
Isaiah Roby, Forward, Oklahoma City Thunder
Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International
Maria Taylor, ESPN host and reporter, moderated the discussion

This discussion focuses on UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 and COVID-19’s impact on adequate housing and sustainable cities around the world. Panelists will touch on the ways the pandemic has revealed housing to be the front line of defense against COVID-19 and added urgency to efforts to upgrade informal settlements in cities around the globe. This conversation will be particularly timely because it comes on the heels of the UN’s High-Level Political Forum, an annual update on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Panelists include: 

Eugénie L. Birch, Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research at the University of Pennsylvania
Anacláudia Rossbach, Regional Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean, Cities Alliance
Patrick Canagasingham, COO of Habitat for Humanity International

U.S. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford discuss the need for congressional support of housing stability during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, including Sen. Reed’s legislation to establish the Housing Assistance Fund, which is directly aligned with the goals of Habitat for Humanity’s Cost of Home campaign. Sen. Reed also provides updates on the status of discussions in Congress to provide further economic relief to the American people.

Panelists include:

U.S. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island.
Julián Castro, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International.
Melissa Sanzaro, Executive Director of the Providence Housing Authority.
Catherine Chabot, Habitat for Humanity homeowner.

Check out highlight clips from this panel on YouTube.

In the wake of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks and far too many other Black Americans, we are in the midst of a national conversation about racial equity and justice. This discussion focuses on the history of anti-Black racism and government-sponsored segregation in housing in the United States, and how that history is fundamental to issues of housing and equity today.

Panelists include:

Richard Rothstein, author of The Color of Law, Distinguished Fellow of the Economic Policy Institute and a Senior Fellow (emeritus) at the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fun
Alexi McCammond, political reporter for Axios (moderator)
Dwayne Spencer, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis

Check out highlight clips from this panel on YouTube.

To launch our +You series, we heard from panelists as they discussed the important ties between home and health, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Panelists include:

Dr. Megan Sandel, associate professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and co-director of the Grow Clinic at Boston Medical Center.
Dr. Stephen Klasko, president of Thomas Jefferson University and CEO of Jefferson Health.
Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International.
Lisa Gordon, president and CEO of Atlanta Habitat for Humanity.

Check out highlight clips from this panel on YouTube.