Thank you for this week's article series on poverty in Orange County. As staff writer Jenny Huang notes, the affluent appearance of UNC and its surrounding community masks the poverty of some Orange County residents. Articles such as yours help remind us of the problems faced by local citizens with low incomes.
Volunteering with Habitat for Humanity International is one way UNC students can fight against poverty. Habitat volunteers and future Habitat homeowners, under the direction of experienced construction supervisors, build houses. These houses are sold to owners at cost, with interest-free mortgages. They provide an alternative to apartments with high rent or to the inadequate housing families with low-incomes are able to afford.
The UNC Campus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity sends volunteers to Habitat work sites in Orange and Chatham counties every weekend. For more information, see our Web site at habitat.unc.edu Perhaps the long-term solution to area poverty is the creation of a living wage, but until then Habitat is a great way to help alleviate the effects of poverty, one family at a time.
Katie Hodgson
Senior
Psychology
