In survival, there are generally 3 basic needs humans need to survive, Food, Water, and Shelter. I believe every human has the basic right to shelter, not simply a privilege to those who can afford it. In the following I will give a very basic description of the cause I will be actively trying to make a difference in.
What is Affordable Housing?
According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, housing is considered affordable to low-income persons when the cost of the housing is not higher than 30% of income earned, including all expenses such as utilities.
What is the problem?
In 2010, 9.5 million families spent more than half of their total income on housing costs, double what it was 9 years prior. The major issue is that people, over time, are not making enough money to adjust to rising living costs. One of the major problems is minimum wage, which millions of Americans live off of. Minimum wage is simply too low in comparison to living costs. The wage does not adjust to inflation, so as the cost of living goes up, minimum wage stays the same unless congress tells it to do so. FACT: In no county in the united states does the minimum wage at 40 hours per week allow an individual to afford even a one bedroom apartment at the local fair market rent. FMR are rent estimates for a given area.
What is Bike and Build doing to fix it?
Bike and Build distributes donations through 4 primary ways:
- Grant application process Housing organizations may apply for competitive grants from B&B. Participants review the housing projects and select a proposal for whom to receive the grant at the end of summer.
- Rider designated donations Each rider in B&B may donate $500 of their funds donated to a housing project of their choice at the end of the summer. The project choice is fully up to the rider as long as the project is related to affordable housing, the organization is a registered 501(c)3, and it is approved by B&B directors.
- On the road donations Bike and Build would not be able to function without the hosts that provide accommodations for the riders along their trips. As a thank you, B&B donates $100 to the housing project of each hosts choice along the way.
- Pre-arranged contributions There are many different organizations that help Bike and Build function, each of these organizations receive a large contribution at the end of the summer. An example of an organization is the build sites that allow us as riders to participate on their build for an entire week.
