Look for the Helpers

Organizations bringing homes to people who need them most

Everyone deserves a home and the community that comes with it. And we have quite a few organizations to thank for helping to make this whole idea a reality. And while it’s not a full list of all those out there working to make a difference, it’s a spotlight on some good humans making homes more accessible, safer, and better for those in need. Come on in, the door’s open. 

World Habitat

World Habitat is a charity working internationally to bring safe and secure homes to those most in need. We find excellent housing solutions from around the world and then strengthen them to scale up, helping more people have a decent place to live.

What’s the change you hope to bring to the world? 

Our vision is a world where everyone has a safe and secure home because we believe this is the foundation for health, safety, dignity, inclusion, and prosperity. Yet too many people — 2.8 billion according to the latest UN-Habitat figures — are denied this right and suffer terrible consequences as a result. At World Habitat, we know that solutions to these problems are out there. We have helped develop initiatives that challenge homelessness, poverty, and the worst effects of the climate crisis: unaffordable housing, inadequate land rights, and social exclusion.

Housing for the eldery by Tanzania Women Architects for Humanity (TAWAH), 2004

How have you seen this make a positive change throughout your community?

Because our work aims to strengthen, promote, and transfer excellent housing solutions, many of the awarded ideas have taken root in new countries and even continents. For example, the seed for “Housing First” (a radical idea that provides people experiencing street homelessness with permanent, unconditional homes) emerged in California and won our award in 1988. Fast forward to this century, and versions of that early model have been successfully adopted in other countries like Chile, Austria, Finland, Portugal, and now even in Croatia with our support.

Find hundreds of award-winning housing ideas from all corners of the globe at world-habitat.org

Operation Tiny Home

Operation Tiny Home is a national nonprofit dedicated to building high-quality, affordable, small-footprint homes that restore dignity, stability, and connection for veterans, families, and communities facing housing instability. Through partnerships with like-minded nonprofits, local organizations, and professional builders, we create pathways to healing, empowerment, and sustainable living — one home, one human story at a time.

What’s the change you hope to bring to the world?

We’re reimagining what it means to build community by building smarter, small-footprint, high-quality homes that heal people and the planet. Our hope is to inspire a cultural shift where housing solutions are rooted in compassion, sustainability, and collective responsibility.

Photo courtesy of Operation Tiny Home

How have you seen this make a positive change throughout your community?

We’ve watched veterans once living on the margins rediscover stability and purpose, families find peace after years of displacement, and communities come together through the shared act of building. Every tiny home we complete is a ripple of hope — proof that healing begins when people are seen, supported, and given a place to belong.

Help build homes that heal. Learn more and support our mission at www.operationtinyhome.org.

Rebuilding Together 

Rebuilding Together is the leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to repairing the homes of people in need and revitalizing communities. Through its national network of affiliates, Rebuilding Together works proactively and collaboratively with community leaders, long-term residents, funders, and volunteers to foster dialogue and create safe, healthy communities across the country. 

What’s the change you hope to bring to the world?

Every home tells a story, and everyone deserves the chance to keep writing theirs. Rebuilding Together restores safety and stability for neighbors whose homes have fallen into disrepair by providing no-cost home improvements. Each project helps preserve independence, dignity, and belonging. We believe strong communities start with safe places to live, and that no one should have to choose between staying home and staying safe.

Photo courtesy of Rebuilding Together

How have you seen this make a positive change throughout your community?

Repairs ripple outward — a heater that keeps a child warm through winter, a grab bar that helps an older adult move safely through the home, a roof that lets a family sleep through a storm with peace of mind. But the real change goes deeper than any single fix. When homes are safe, families can stay in them. Older adults age in place. Children grow up surrounded by familiar faces and a sense of stability. Neighborhoods retain their history, culture, and heart.

We see it every day. Safety leads to stability, and stability leads to connection. That’s how communities stay whole. Each repair may seem small, but together they restore something far larger — the strength and pride of a neighborhood that endures for generations. 

Donate or volunteer to help repair homes and strengthen the neighborhoods you call home at www.rebuildingtogether.org