I’ve been so busy cycling and blogging about cycling, that I haven’t shared with you why we are doing this crazy trip. We are cycling across the country because we believe that people deserve to have homes that they can afford to own. Almost everyone I know has had housing issues at some point in their lives—some people I know have been homeless, some can’t afford to pay their mortgage, some can barely pay their rent, and a ton of people I know don’t have adequate housing conditions.
I think we can break down the rather general ‘housing problems’ into three areas. So ask yourself these three questions:
- Do you pay more than 30% of your income on affordable housing?
- Do you live in housing that is physically inadequate? (Are your stairs, ramps, or roofs unsafe? Do you lack hot water or electricity regularly?)
- Do you live in an overcrowded location? (Are there more people living with you than rooms in your house?)
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, or know anyone who can answer ‘yes’ to these questions, then the affordable housing crisis is affecting you! Avry and I are lucky enough to be in a position where we have the time and ability to dedicate ourselves to this cause. We find it so important that we have stopped everything else and focused all of our attention on this one issue (we’ve been working on this since October, and by the time we’re done, we’ll have worked on it for 11 continuous months).
Happily, we finally found the time to set aside our bicycles, stop fundraising for a moment, and actually put some time in building this weekend! And it was a blast!!!
We drove out to Washington, PA Saturday morning to help with a Habitat for Humanity build. We met some really lovely people, some intense builders, and even a new homeowner! A great thing that I didn’t know before Saturday about Habitat is that each new homeowner must put in some Sweat Equity time helping to build other homes before they can move into their new place. What an amazing way to ensure that the people that get to live in Habitat houses stay involved in the process!
Avry and I spent our day hanging drywall. I am pleased to report that I am fully capable of lifting, hammering, and wielding a power tool. I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that Avry is capable of all of the above as well. I was nervous about my building abilities before this build, but I think I’ll be A-OKAY for building houses this summer! And I know both of us are itching to get things done. We only have to wait 29 days.
Don’t forget—if you like cycling, affordable housing, good causes and adventures of any kind, and/or spaghetti, come out and support the affordable housing cause this Friday, May 18th from 4-8pm. It’s a Spaghetti Dinner thrown by Avry and I at Community House (120 Parkhurst Street, 15212) to help us with our last push for fundraising.
