Who We Are

Lakeland Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit ecumenical Christian housing ministry, is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing in the city of Lakeland and surrounding areas, and to making decent housing for all people a matter of conscience and action. Habitat works in partnership with families in need of adequate shelter to build simple, decent homes. The homes are then sold to Habitat's partner families, at no profit and with no interest charged.

Partner families invest hundreds of hours of their own labor—sweat equity—into building their homes and the homes of others. Their mortgage payments go into a revolving “Fund for Humanity” that is used to build more homes. Millard and Linda Fuller in a small Georgian town called Americus founded Habitat for Humanity International, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1976. HfHI's work in the United States is accomplished by affiliates like Lakeland Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat affiliates are independent, nonprofit organizations that are organized by local citizens and operate with local boards and local volunteers. Volunteers provide most of the labor, and faith-based, corporate and individual donors provide the money, materials and labor necessary to build Habitat homes. Lakeland Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1990 by a group of concerned individuals who were aware of the international organization and saw the critical need for decent, affordable housing in the city of Lakeland.

Lakeland Habitat is one of more than 1,700 affiliates in the USA and 550 international affiliates that build more than 3,000,000 homes throughout the world. Since its inception, ninety-one families and 363 people have been sheltered with the contribution of sponsors, volunteers, and the sweat-equity of the new homeowners.

Our Mission

Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with God and people everywhere, from all walks of life, to develop communities. By building and renovating, we ensure that there are decent houses in which people in need can live and grow into all God intends. Habitat is a people-to-people partnership bringing together individuals and communities. We’re committed to the development and uplifting of people and communities, not simply to the construction of housing.