Mission & History : Who We Are : Habitat for Humanity of Henderson, KY

Mission and Vision

Koinonia Farm was founded in Americus, GA in 1942 by Clarence and Florence Jordan as a demonstration of service to others through generous hospitality. Koinonia's commitment to racial equality, pacifism, and economic sharing helped create a revolutionary intentional community of believers sharing their lives and resources, following the example of the first Christian communities as described in the Bible. The radical ideas from which the community sprung brought violence to the farm in the 1950s and there was an ongoing attempted to force them out of their community. Not to be deterred, the residents of Koinonia Farm responded with prayer, nonviolent resistance, and a renewed commitment to their way of life. As society progressed, the leadership at the farm began to focus on the poor quality of housing in their local community. Their mission pivoted as they took on the calling to build decent, affordable homes for their neighbors. Koinonia Farm's self-proclaimed "housing ministry" evolved into Habitat for Humanity International under the leadership of Millard and Linda Fuller, who became members of Koinonia after leaving a lucrative, albeit challenging, lifestyle in New York. Founded in 1976, Habitat for Humanity International has become a global housing organization working with people of all faith traditions and backgrounds, operating in all 50 states in the U.S. and in over 70 countries around the world. Henderson Ky Habitat was founded in 1990 and is a 501(c)(3) housing non-profit committed to giving hardworking, low-income families a hand up, not a hand out. Our offices originally were located in the Big rivers building downtown before moving onto Klutey Park Plaza Dr and opening the first Habitat ReStore in Henderson. In 2013 we moved next to the Dodge Store on Green Street and expanded the ReStore floor space as many volunteers continued the mission of building safe, decent and affordable housing in the community. Many people came to know Habitat and who we were from visiting the store to hunting for a bargain! While on Green St, home builds #50 - #59 were built and we did a Blitz Build for the Paul Family in 2015.

Habitat for Humanity International's Mission & Vision

Mission

Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.

Vision

A world where everyone has a decent place to live.

Value Statement

Our organization was founded on the conviction that every man, woman, and child should have a simple, durable place to live in dignity and safety, and that decent shelter in decent communities should be a matter of conscience and action for all. We welcome volunteers and supporters from all backgrounds and serve people in need of decent housing regardless of race or religion.

At Henderson Habitat, we work to replicate the spirit of Koinonia by evoking Martin Luther King's Beloved Community philosophy in which HFHH seeks to create redeeming goodwill through access to safe, affordable housing. We can accomplish that by bringing people together to build, revitalize, restore and educate our community using shelter as a foundation while catalyzing a wide-array of safe, decent, affordable housing solutions. In doing so, we will build strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter.

Non-Proselytizing Statement

All are welcome. Habitat for Humanity of Henderson, Ky has an open-door policy: All who believe that everyone needs a decent, affordable place to live are welcome to help with the work, regardless of race, religion, age, gender, political views or any of the other distinctions that too often divide people. In short, Habitat welcomes volunteers and supporters from all backgrounds and also serves people in need of decent housing regardless of race or religion. Habitat for Humanity International and its affiliated organizations will not proselytize, nor will Habitat for Humanity work with entities or individuals who insist on proselytizing as part of their work with Habitat for Humanity. This means that Habitat for Humanity will not offer assistance on the expressed or implied condition that people must (i) adhere to or convert to a particular faith or (ii) listen and respond to messaging designed to induce conversion to a particular faith.