Habitat for Humanity has partnered with its local Habitat organizations to place AmeriCorps members in communities throughout the United States. These members help engage volunteers, develop resources, and support families. This support is intended to improve performance at local Habitat organizations.
Study Goals:
This was a follow-up evaluation from a similar study conducted in previous years. The focus of the evaluation was to determine if hosting AmeriCorps National and VISTA members helped local Habitat organizations better serve communities across the United States.
Research Questions:
The past evaluation showed that service members increased the ability of host sites to build more new homes. Members also helped rehab more homes and engage more volunteers. The study compared Habitat organizations that hosted AmeriCorps members against organizations that did not. This evaluation replicates the previous study by examining the following questions:
- Do AmeriCorps members help Habitat organizations serve more families, engage more volunteers, and offer services related to housing?
- Do AmeriCorps members benefit from their service by gaining useful workforce training, learning new skills, and experiencing an increase in civic engagement?
Findings:
The findings show that local Habitat organizations that hosted AmeriCorps members were more effective than similar Habitat organizations that didn’t host members. The main findings include:
- Habitat AmeriCorps members increase the capacity of host sites to serve more families by building and rehabbing more homes:
- During the 2017-2018 fiscal year, host sites built an average of 9.3 home and non-host sites build an average of 3.25 homes.
- Small host sites rehabbed an average of 3.4 homes versus small non-host sites that rehabbed 1.3 homes. Large host sites rehabbed an average of 5.8 homes versus large non-host sites that rehabbed 3.9 homes.
- AmeriCorps members increase the ability of host sites to serve more families by engaging more volunteers:
- Two-thirds of host sites strongly agreed that AmeriCorps members increased the number of families served as well as the quality of service.
- Approximately half of the host sites reported that VISTA members are strongly effective at helping to recruit volunteers.
- AmeriCorps members enhance organizational function in numerous ways:
- Host sites reported that AmeriCorps members helped them create new programs, processes, and systems that expanded the reach and performance of the organization.
- AmeriCorps members benefit from their year of service by learning new skills and expanding their networks and connections:
- Eighty-two percent of members learned about solving community problems.
- Seventy-six percent of members gained useful homebuilding experience.
- Seventy-five percent of members learned about volunteer management.
For more information, download the full report.
Full report
Further information
Program/Intervention
Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps
Implementing Organization
Habitat for Humanity International, Inc.
Intermediary(s)
Habitat for Humanity International, Inc.
AmeriCorps Program(s)
AmeriCorps State and National
Outcome Category
Housing
Study Type(s)
Impact
Study Design(s)
Quasi-Experimental (QED)
Level of Evidence
Strong
Researcher/Evaluator
Judah Viola, Ph.D., Daniel Cooper, Ph.D., and Bradley Olson, Ph.D.
Published Year
2018
Study Site Location (State)
Florida