Affordable Housing

Ensuring Families Have Safe and Affordable Homes

News stories over the last few years have been full of the devastating effects of families struggling with losing their homes. For 15 years, Calvert Foundation has been striving to make affordable housing available for families across the country – and we remain committed to ensuring that families have access to safe and affordable homes despite current economic conditions.

Real-Life Returns

The “real-life returns” of a Community Investment Note investment are measured by the lives that are changed for the better. When the father of her children was incarcerated, Leanne Nunley (pictured here with children, Acelon(4), Alijeh(3) and Ariana(2)), a veterinarian’s assistant, bounced from one temporary housing situation to another. With a loan made possible by Calvert Foundation borrower Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises, she was able to buy her own home. In her words, “This is a great program. I know that the economic times are tough right now and that a lot of organizations are losing their funding, but this program really helps people. I would never be able to get a loan with that low of an interest rate and afford a house of my own. I don’t think that it is up to anyone else to take care of anyone else. I work a full-time job, but without assistance, I would not be able to make it at all.”

© Photo by Richard Lord for Calvert Foundation

Habitat for Humanity International

Investing in Habitat for Humanity is now possible through the Habitat Investment Program, which brings together the financial benefits of an investment and the social impact of a charitable donation. When you participate in the Habitat Investment Program, you are investing in an organization that makes homeownership a possibility for families around the world, everyday.

With the Habitat Investment Program, investors earn a fixed financial return while generating “real-life returns” that are measured in homes built, families served and lives changed. You select the interest rate (up to 2 percent) and the term (1-10 years) of the investment. This is done through Calvert Foundation’s Community Investment Note. In addition to a modest financial return, investors have the benefit of knowing that their investment has helped Habitat make homeownership a possibility for families in need. The proceeds from the Habitat Investment Program will be used to lend to Habitat for Humanity affiliates and partners around the world to use as capital to accelerate the rate at which Habitat can build homes or provide housing to more families. Terms available range from one to 10 years; rates available up to 2 percent.

Call us at 800.248.0337, or invest online (minimum $20) through online investment marketplace MicroPlace, the first socially responsible brokerage specializing in microfinance investments. Term and rate combinations vary from one to 10 years and 0.5 to 2 percent.

> Why invest in affordable housing?
> Profiles of all Calvert Foundation borrowers