What We Do
Our mission is to build a safe environment where families and communities can thrive.
Our Focus Areas Our Work in GB
Our vision
Our vision is a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live, and a world where housing poverty and homelessness are eliminated. We believe that the home is a key catalyst in helping to permanently break the cycle of poverty.
To achieve our vision, we build homes, partnerships, communities and networks. Since our founding in 1976, together we have helped more than 62 million people globally build their futures on their own terms through access to decent housing.
Our programmes support a range of home building and community projects, focusing on practical support that makes a real, tangible difference to the lives of those most in need.
Our Focus Areas
From disaster recovery to appropriate homeownership, discover how we are tackling the housing crisis in communities around the world.
Our Work in GB
We are working to create much needed affordable homes and support local communities.
Our Partners
The work that we do would not be possible without the unwavering support of our partners.
Habitat ReStore
Your first stop for affordable, sustainable home improvement and home décor – helping you build, refresh and personalise your home.
Our projects
July 16, 2026
Devi’s Story
Across India, millions of people are facing increasingly severe and record-breaking heat waves. For families living on low incomes, the risks are often greatest. Many homes have concrete or tin roofs that absorb the sun’s heat throughout the day, turning living spaces into ovens long after the sun has gone down. Home should be a…
Read more
Our projects
February 11, 2025
A Home for Manesi: Helping Families in Malawi
Manesi’s life changed forever in 2019 when her daughter tragically passed away, leaving behind her three young children. Despite her own struggles of living in a dilapidated house and working long hours just to try and make ends meet, Manesi immediately stepped in to become the caregiver for her grandchildren. Living in a small house…
Read more
Advocacy
July 12, 2024
Addressing Energy Poverty in Central and Eastern Europe
Energy powers communities. It keeps homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It fuels agricultural and manufacturing production, generating food, revenue, and jobs. We depend on energy in hospitals and schools to heal and educate communities. Energy’s presence is not just essential – it’s lifesaving, acting as an engine for economic growth…
Read more
Advocacy
March 06, 2018
African Cities: Building Resilient, Sustainable & Inclusive Societies
The challenges faced by Africa’s rapidly growing cities are unique. Chief Resilience Officers from Ethiopia, Ghana & South Africa share how their cities are approaching the urgent challenges their cities are working to solve. The list of interviewees includes: Fitsumbrhan Tsegaye (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) Desmond Appiah (Accra, Ghana) Craig Kesson (Cape Town, South Africa) The…
Read more
Advocacy
August 06, 2018
Causes of Urban Poverty in India
As cities across the world rapidly develop, life is becoming increasingly difficult for those left behind. In India, the causes of urban poverty can be linked to the lack of infrastructure in rural areas, forcing inhabitants of these regions to seek out work in India’s mega-cities. However, as more and more people make this migration,…
Read more
