The Hotels Housing Trust and our partnership with Habitat for Humanity South Africa

The Trust exists to receive donations from guests staying at our partner hotels and to channel these donations to Habitat for Humanity, South Africa, to build houses in the townships. These generous donations allow more people to build their own homes from funds utilising their South African Government subsidy loan and a revolving loan system used by Habitat for Humanity to cover the total costs of obtaining the land and building their own home. Donations given to the Hotels Housing Trust will be used over and over again as their money will be borrowed by new home owners as a revolving loan through Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat for Humanity Homeowner selection and the education phase:

• The family must earn a combined monthly income of between R800 – R3500.
• The family must be living in sub-standard housing.
• They must own the land on which the house will be built.
• They must perform Sweat Equity (Physically work on other homeowner's homes before qualifying for their own house.)
• They must save a set minimum amount or for a designated time period, towards their house prior to it being built.
• They must qualify for a South African government housing Subsidy.

During the education phase the homeowner group is taken through Habitat for Humanity South Africa basics and values, financial budgeting and house costing, aspects of planning for the future including health and succession planning, and how to maintain their new asset.

Construction cost including materials and labour for a completed 50m² house is approximately R53 000. The repayment is done by the homeowner savings and their individual government housing subsidy.