COMMON HOPE’S HOUSING PROGRAM

The ultimate goal of Common Hope’s Housing Program is to provide parents with the opportunity to build a more stable, healthy living environment for their family and remove the barriers that prevent children from staying in and being successful in school.

At The Core Of The Program

Mutual Partnership

Our Housing Program is based on a mutual partnership between Common Hope and a family in need. Common Hope’s families ful ll a minimum number of required volunteer hours to earn a safe, dry house with a cement oor.

Homes That Are Mobile

One of the most unique aspects of the houses Common Hope builds is that they are completely mobile. It is common for our families to be renting or living temporarily on community land. As a result, it is important for families to have this mobile option so that if they need to move, they can take their house with them. A house can be moved in approximately three days.

Working With Volunteers

An important component of Common Hope’s Housing Program is that all of the houses are built through the support of volunteers who visit Guatemala as part of Vision Teams. The Vision Team experience can be transformational for visitors while also helping to deepen the relationship and partnership with the families. The power of being able to build an entire home in ve days can be life changing—not only for those who live within its walls, but also for those who build it for them.

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“Queremos que las familias tengan un espacio adecuado para vivir que les ayuda a soñar y a tener fe y con anza en ellos mismos.”

The Hern Ndez Family

Pictured on the cover of this issue are Doña Concepción and her grandson, Jayro. You may recognize Doña Concepción if you’ve been on a Common Hope Pueblo Tour in Antigua.

In Guatemala, it is common for generations of family members to share a home. This is true for the Hernández family. Doña Concepción and her husband Don Salomé live with their daughter, Doña Maura, the mother of Jayro and Heidi.

Before they were part of Common Hope’s programs, the Hernández family lived in a one-room house. Over time, the wood began to rot, making it dangerous particularly during rainy season. The family worked 100 volunteer hours to earn a new home. They have taken great pride in owning their very own home. They painted it their favorite colors and even added a patio area with shrubs and owers. It is a beautiful, digni ed space they call home.

“Before receiving this home, water would enter our home and turn everything wet, cold, and muddy. Now we do not have to worry in the rainy season, and we all feel safer and more comfortable,” says Doña Concepción.

The Hernández family’s home was built in March 2018 by the Pie Consulting Vision Team members Clinton Standish, Mitchell Rosendahl, Ryan Krug, Tyler Schwein, Brecken Gillmore, Kathleen Dickerson, and Cole Gillmore. ¡Gracias!

A small family home built circa 1993. The rst family homes were built from wood. Later, homes were constructed from brolit, which provided a waterproof option that prevented rotting yet still allowed homes to be mobile.

Expanding Programming To Include Housing

Common Hope has always been committed to creating digni ed, respectful opportunities for families to succeed. The goal is to establish a partnership with a family that provides the support needed to end the cycle of poverty. Education is just one piece of that puzzle. Housing is another. The independence and hope that having a place to call home provides compounds the ability of a student to succeed in school and a family to succeed in life. So in 1991, Common Hope’s programming expanded to include housing services.

In the beginning stages of the program, Common Hope experimented with building one-room homes constructed from wood, then concrete blocks. Over time, these houses were modi ed and constructed from brolit (cement ber) to accommodate the many families that rented or moved. Cement block houses remained available for those who own their land. Two-room homes were added later and continue to be the preferred option even today 20 years later.