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High cost to build home challenges Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity
Posted at 7:03 AM, Jun 15, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-15 10:03:08-04

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — When Habitat for Humanity builds a home, it's all hands on deck.

"We know that home is key right now. We've all learned, over the last year, how important our homes are," said Habitat for Humanity Tucson CEO, T. Vanhook.

The non-profit's mission is to provide affordable housing, but the rising cost to build has made it more of a challenge.

"Right now, there's a huge demand for building in this county and there are interruptions in the supply chain. It's because of weather, COVID-19 and all kinds of reasons. We're having difficulty getting supplies," said Vanhook.

In 2016, Habitat for Humanity built a three bedroom-two bathroom house for $130,000 in Tucson. In 2021, the same house costs $235,000 to build in Tucson.

"I like to call it a perfect storm. It's a storm that's hurting us so much that we're going to be building less housing," said Vanhook.

Habitat for Humanity recently built 19 homes in Flowing Wells. Their next project in Marana will be smaller, but the non-profit plans to move forward with as much help from the community as they can get.

"We were able to get 12 parcels, which we're really grateful for. We'll build 12 houses in Marana and then look towards the future to find more land and more products," said Vanhook.

To learn how to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, click here.