Land is the foundation for life: Habitat for Humanity's global Solid Ground campaign to address land access

ATLANTA, March 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the world continues to urbanize, cities will grow rapidly with the number of people in need of decent housing increasing faster than ever before. To combat this growing trend, Habitat for Humanity is launching Solid Ground, a three-year global advocacy campaign focused on promoting land policies, laws and systems to improve access to adequate shelter.

Habitat's Solid Ground campaign will draw attention to the often overlooked role of land for housing. To date, 75 percent of land worldwide is not legally documented, leaving millions of people in developing countries vulnerable to eviction or displacement after a disaster. Many of these people, primarily women, lack access to property rights and in turn face barriers in finding adequate housing for themselves and their families.

"Over the past 40 years, we have become a global organization capable of tackling large social issues in need of change," said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. "The need for access to land is one of the largest obstacles to a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Our Solid Ground campaign will build on Habitat's past successes on the issue of land rights. Through the campaign, Habitat organizations around the world will use our collective voice to remove barriers and ensure strength, stability and self-reliance for generations to come."

Solid Ground will address access to land through four key areas: secure tenure, slum upgrading, disaster resilience and gender equality.

Habitat organizations will influence land policies and systems in Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Kenya, South Africa, with a growing list of countries. In collaboration with global partners, Habitat will work at all levels of government to motivate lawmakers around the world to make land access a priority.

To learn more about Habitat's Solid Ground campaign and how to get involved, visit: solidgroundcampaign.org.

About Habitat for Humanity International
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity has grown from a grassroots effort that began on a community farm in southern Georgia in 1976 to a global nonprofit housing organization in nearly 1,400 communities across the U.S. and in over 70 countries. People partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering, or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.

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SOURCE Habitat for Humanity International

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http://www.habitat.org