A generous Good Samaritan anonymously donated $1 million to help 50 Louisiana Habitat for Humanity families stay in their homes.
“It’s one of the most extraordinary gifts of personal philanthropy we’ve ever encountered,” New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity executive director Marguerite Oestreicher told WVUE on Thursday:
Habitat for Humanity homeowner Shernita Green said her homeowner’s insurance prices are up $800 per month, a difficult task to keep up with while making just $11 an hour at Goodwill.
“I’m not making that kind of money to afford my home,” she told the outlet. “It’s like either you’re going to pay this 800 or this thousand towards your homeowner’s insurance or are you going to lose.”
Oestreicher explained that the increased insurance rates, which have skyrocketed since Hurricane Ida, have created an “extraordinary degree of anxiety” for those who live in Habitat for Humanity homes.
“We’re seeing people doing without essential things like healthcare,” she said. “They’re changing the way they eat. They are scrambling to figure out any other way to make extra money to make ends meet.”
The anonymous donor’s $1 million contribution will give New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity homeowners “counseling, strategic advice, and tools to navigate financial hurdles,” WVUE reported.
“I’m so proud of Habitat. I don’t want to lose my home. I have six more years to be the owner of the home,” Green said of the good news.