Sweat Equity
Sweat equity is the cornerstone of the Homes Not Jails philosophy. It is formulated to address the problem that most affordable housing is unaffordable for people with no income or people on General Assistance, Supplemental Security Income, or Aid to Families with Dependent Children. Homes Not Jails proposes an alternative model for people who are destitute and need to do labor instead of pay rent. The use of sweat equity decreases the amount of government funding needed to make affordable units available, and for more complex building skills such as architecture or engineering Homes Not Jails has historically relied on volunteer work. The underlying principle is to have residents do the work on their own housing and greatly reduce the cost of running a large non-profit organization that would contract out or source volunteers to help in construction efforts.
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Famous quotes containing the words sweat and/or equity:
“When my face turned toward his,
I averted it
and looked at my feet.
When my ears clamored
to hear his talk,
I stopped them.
When my cheeks broke out
in sweat and goosebumps,
I covered them with my hands.
But Friends,
when the seams of my bodice
burst in a hundred places,
what could I do?”
—Amaru (c. seventh century A.D.)
“If equity and human natural reason were allowed there would be no law, there would be no lawyers.”
—Christina Stead (1902–1983)