Global Staci

What can I say? It’s my favorite invitation to travel—building houses in partnership with those in need of a hand up! Once again, I had the pleasure of being part of a Global Builders Team with the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia.

[For details, read my post on Yerevan and my post-build trip to the Republic of Georgia.]

Established in the spring of 2008, The Fuller Center for Housing Armenia, is an NGO that supports community development in the Republic of Armenia by assisting in building and renovating simple, decent, and affordable homes as well as advocating the right to a decent shelter as a matter of conscience and action.

The real estate market in Armenia has experienced dramatic growth in volume, and prices have consistently increased over the last five years. However, the majority of residential construction targets wealthy customers, and is not accessible even to the middle class. The construction boom has driven a rapid boost in the material costs, with continuing trends making it extremely difficult for low-income groups to build or renovate their homes.

They estimate 65,000 families are in need of housing in Armenia, and about 26,000 are without permanent shelter. Many live in temporary structures, in most cases metal shipping containers, so-called domiks. Others live in former hotels, schools and schools that were converted to temporary housing. Homelessness and housing poverty have grave material and psychological consequences for the families and society, which are in a complex cause and effect relationship and create a closed cycle of poverty.

Multiple related families and generations of one family often crowd into small homes. Not only does this situation threaten people’s physical health, but it contributes to a variety of psychological and family problems, including increased divorce rates. For all of these reasons, The Fuller Center for Housing Armenia solutions include:

• Completion of half-built house,
• Purchase of an affordable apartment,
• Renovation which may include roof reconstruction, heating and sanitation system installation, interior renovation etc.

For example, our family started to build their house on their own. It’s common in Armenia for people to have the skills to do so. When they ran into some financial trouble, they found out they were able to qualify for a zero-interest loan from Fuller Center for Housing Armenia, and our team helped move the process further along by providing funding and labor. The goal is for them to be moved into their home by the end of the year, celebrating Christmas!

Typically builds in Armenia are nearly two weeks. Although worthwhile, it’s quite a distance to travel and, as I learned, Armenian’s love to show off their cultural heritage and many Americans of Armenian descent who travel there revel in it. It was wonderful to be in a small group that was so intimately connected with this country.

In addition to enjoying our commute to work and our time with the partner family, Fuller Center staff, and other volunteers, we enjoyed going out in the city as well as getting out of the city. We always felt safe and well cared for by our hosts.