About

Habitat for Humanity of McLean County (HFHMC) is an independent affiliate of a global, nonprofit housing organization Habitat for Humanity International operated on Christian principles. We seek to put God’s love into action by building strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter. Habitat for Humanity International's vision is to achieve a world where everyone has a decent, affordable, and safe place to call home.

Habitat houses around the world are built according to the same guiding principles:

Mission

  

We have been helping families build and improve places to call home since 1985.

Excitement is Building

Decent

Habitat houses are large enough for the family's needs, but small enough to keep construction and maintenance costs to a minimum. Habitat for Humanity uses quality, locally available building materials and are designed to reflect the local climate and culture.

Local

Habitat for Humanity of McLean County builds multiple houses each year, within McLean County, with most homes located in Bloomington-Normal. Since our affiliate founding in 1985, we have built 193 homes locally.

 

Affordable

The labor of volunteers and partner families, efficient building methods, modest house sizes, and no-profit loans make it affordable for low income families to purchase Habitat houses, thereby becoming homeowners.

International

We tithe 10% of our unrestricted funds to partner with families in Nicaragua and Haiti, where we have built well over 200 homes. HFHMC is consistently one of the country's top tithers from a midsize market. Because material costs are lower in these developing countries, the same dollars can often build multiple homes for each home built in McLean County.

By sharing our resources, HFHMC's impact expands beyond the local community and embraces Habitat International's goal of eliminating poverty housing worldwide. When you contribute to HFHMC, your donation helps build homes for at least two families in need of safe, affordable housing – one in McLean County and one or more in Haiti or Nicaragua.

Note: Tithe dollars are never used to support administrative or other costs of Habitat for Humanity in the United States but are sent in their entirety to Haiti and/or Nicaragua. If a Habitat McLean donor prefers her/his contribution remains within McLean County, we will not contribute any portion of that donation to our international builds.

All Are Welcome

Habitat for Humanity of McLean County has an open-door policy: All who believe everyone deserves a decent place to live are welcome to help, regardless of race, religion, age, gender, or political views. Habitat for Humanity International and its affiliated organizations will not offer assistance on the expressed or implied condition that people must either adhere to or convert to a particular faith.

Learn More About Our Programs

Habitat for Humanity: A Christian Ministry

A large part of our history is a commitment to our foundation of Christian values. Key to our mission and ongoing ministry are the following principles: 

  1. Demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ
    We consistently endeavor to demonstrate the love of Jesus, believing that God's love and grace is meant for all, and that we must be the "hands and feet" of that love and grace in our world. We believe that, in faith, respectful relationships can grow among all people. As we act this out, we believe that, through faith, the miniscule can be multiplied to accomplish the magnificent.
  2. Focus on Shelter
    Our means of manifesting God's love is creating opportunities for all people to live in decent, affordable shelter. We put faith into action by helping to build, renovate and preserve homes.
  3. Advocate for affordable housing
    In response to the Bible's call to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God, we promote decent, affordable housing for all. We will advocate for just and fair housing policy to eliminate the constraints that contribute to poverty housing. In all of our work, we will seek to put shelter on hearts and minds in such powerful ways that poverty housing becomes socially, politically and religiously unacceptable.
  4. Promote dignity and hope
    We believe that every person has something to contribute and gain from creating communities in which all people have decent, affordable places to live. We believe that dignity and hope are best achieved through equitable, accountable partnerships.
  5. Support sustainable and transformational development
    We view our work as successful when it transforms lives and promotes positive and lasting social, economic and spiritual change within a community; when it is based on mutual trust and fully shared accomplishment; and when it demonstrates responsible stewardship of all resources entrusted to us.

Our mission and methods are predominantly derived from a few key theological concepts foundational to Habitat for Humanity’s history:

  1. The Economics of Jesus
    When we act in response to human need, giving what we have without seeking profit, we believe God magnifies the effects of our efforts; this perspective is known as "the economics of Jesus." The donated labor of volunteers, the support of partner organizations, and the "sweat equity" of our Partner Families make Habitat's house building possible.

  2. The Theology of the Hammer
    Foundational to Habitat for Humanity's work is the concept of partnership on common ground -bridging theological differences by putting love into action. Everyone can use the hammer as an instrument to manifest God's love. Habitat’s late founder, Millard Fuller, called this concept "the theology of the hammer."

 

"We may disagree on all sorts of other things,” said Fuller, “but we can agree on the idea of building homes with God's people in need...The Bible teaches that God is the God of the whole crowd. God's love leaves nobody out, and my love should not either."

Reports

Form 990

Habitat for Humanity of McLean County and its Board of Directors are committed to transparency and provide Form 990 online for public inspection. Please email accounting@habitatmclean.org, call 309-827-3931, or visit our office if you have any questions.

Annual Report

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