Introducing the Beloved Community House

In 2018 Habitat for Humanity International launched an initiative called Beloved Community.  This initiative is modeled after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day vision of “the Beloved Community” — a community that includes diversity and allows for tension undergirded by love and leads to transformation.

As we turned the page on 2021 we asked — how will we move forward to build that Beloved Community in Central Ohio?  For Habitat MidOhio, we built a house!  Our 1st Beloved Community House was dedicated during the summer of 2022, and we are excited to start our 2nd in 2023! 

Habitat for Humanity has a vision of a world where we share one humanity, and that’s a world that we believe in and fight for every day.  To do so, we must truly love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  We must change.  And we must commit to tangible action.

We are taking steps in our practices, our programs, and our networks to bring equity to our efforts and help bring justice to the communities in which we work.  We also strive to connect issues of racial and social injustice with historic barriers to affordable housing and work to eradicate those barriers. In the tradition of the radical inclusivity that infused our birthplace Koinonia Farm from its earliest days, Habitat for Humanity-MidOhio seeks to be a space where people of all races, all faiths, and all backgrounds come together in common cause. 

One step we have taken is designating at least one build per year, the Beloved Community House, where volunteers from all backgrounds are able to volunteer without a financial sponsorship. Traditionally, companies, churches, and other groups are asked to contribute funds to a build when sponsoring a volunteer day, to cover the construction costs of the home. However, we acknowledge that a financial sponsorship is a barrier for many groups to be able to volunteer for Habitat's mission. We hope the Beloved Community House can be a welcoming space for all volunteers to come together in support of a local family. 

Stay tuned to learn about more ways you can get involved with the
Beloved Community House! To learn more about Habitat for Humanity and the Beloved Community watch the video below, featuring Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford.

+You: Building the Beloved Community

Interested in volunteering on the Beloved Community House?

Thanks to the generosity of a donor, volunteer opportunities on the Beloved Community House are available to groups and individuals without the need for sponsorship. 

• Volunteer opportunities: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m

• Schedule a group of up to 10 volunteers from your organization. (Volunteers must be 16 or older).

• No experience is needed; all skill levels are welcome! Our Habitat Project Leader will provide all the knowledge and tools to complete the work day's tasks.

If you are interested in volunteering for the 2nd Beloved Community House starting construction later this year, please contact Rachel Hardin at rhardin@habitatmidohio.org.