5) Description of housing product/service offering: Corazón has worked for the last 18 years to design a durable and sound blue-print for the homes we build in Mexico. These homes are our main product and have popularly been termed “build a house in a day,“ by the volunteers who construct them. The current model has a concrete foundation, solid wood walls, a leak-proof shingled roof, a main room, a kitchen nook, a private room, a bathroom, and a loft. Corazón obtains funding for these homes from sponsor groups in the U.S., thus making the homes free of monetary charge to those in need. Corazón is able to provide these homes through our dedicated team of “Blue Shirt,” volunteers (those who have volunteered over 150 hours) who lead these sponsor groups into Mexico to build these homes on the designated day. The primary beneficiaries of these homes have been termed “active families.” This means that they are individuals or families in Mexico who have chosen to participate with Corazón. Participation includes: work on community development projects (such as repairs to the local school, or community garden projects), enrollment in a gardening class, and enrollment of children in school. Families and individuals who have met these criteria are then eligible for a home. The community members determine the order in which families will receive their new home based on need.

6) Description of innovation: Corazón’s model is unique on multiple levels. First, it couples the provision of housing with the opportunity for education and vocational training. This coupling affords active families the opportunity to own a home and to continue their rise from monetary poverty. Corazón offers continuing education to adults who were never able to complete their schooling, due to the need to work and help support their families. Corazón offers vocational training in construction, electrical work, sewing, and computer science.

Corazón is also unique in that it unifies individuals and communities across borders in a mutually beneficial relationship that results in homes and more for those in need. Volunteers from the U.S. learn cross-cultural skills, gain understanding of world and social issues, and often return to work with Corazón on a yearly, if not monthly basis. The active families of Corazón report not only the benefits of owning a home, but also an increased sense of community, an increased sense of leadership, and an increased sense of pride in their communities. Families who have received homes are given what is often their first set of keys, affording them the opportunity to safely leave their belongings and venture out to work, school, or social gatherings.

Corazón is lastly unique in its approach to providing housing and help. The approach is not based in religion, politics, or charitable notions. It is based in this principle “Feed me today, and I’ll be hungry again tomorrow. Teach me today, and I can feed my family forever.” Corazón offers scholarships to children of active families to assist them in pursing education that would otherwise be a hardship, as education is ultimately the most powerful tool in ending the cycle of monetary poverty.

7) Benefits to clients: Corazón’s housing initiative reaches participants through innovative and comprehensive community programs. Active families are encouraged to invest in their communities through improvement projects that inspire ownership and pride. Corazón tracks the hours worked on these projects, and families can exchange such hours for food, hygiene products, clothing, household goods, and other miscellaneous items. These programs complement Corazón’s housing initiative in that active families can receive a new home and remain active in the program, thus encouraging a cohesive community model with multiple benefits and opportunities.

Corazón reaches out to new Mexican families in need in a number of ways. One vital method is through other families who are already active in the program. Active families often encourage neighbors and friends to become involved for the concrete benefits of the program, but also for the less tangible benefits such as an increased sense of community. This is a key form of program and initiative growth.

In addition, neighbors and community members might witness Corazón activities and ask about how to get involved. They might see a participant family laying the foundation for their home with the help of other Corazón volunteers and be inclined to help, or ask about the activity. Potential participants might even witness an empty lot being filled with a newly constructed home over the course of one Saturday and ask how they can receive a home as well. Corazón also reaches out to new families through community programs such as summer camp for children, soccer tournaments, holiday parties, and community events.

8) Key operational partnerships: Corazón’s most vital partnerships are not with large corporate donors, but with individual volunteers, or Blue Shirts, who are the life-force of the organization. Corazón is 98% volunteer run, with the vast majority of its budget going straight to programs, rather than operating costs. These Blue Shirts lead house builds, track community scholarships and participation, drive build materials and donations, and assist with any number of other activities when needed. Equally vital is Corazón’s partnership with its sponsor groups. These sponsor groups are typically U.S. based churches, rotaries, or school groups who have the tenacity to raise the near $6,500.00 it costs to construct a home in Mexico. Corazón works tirelessly to maintain these partnerships and relationships, and as a result many sponsor groups return year after year.

Corazón does have some partnerships with corporations such as Fluidmaster, Vons and Search Optimizers; with the aim to increase such relationships to assist with program development and growth.

9) Financial model: Corazón ensures that beneficiaries can afford services by making them free of monetary charge. All services including housing is earned through participation in community improvement, the only monetary stipulation is that families must own the land the home will be build upon. Should a family lack land ownership, they can often work with Corazón to accrue hours through community projects. These hours can be exchanged for goods that would typically usurp income, making it possible for these families to save money and eventually purchase land for a home. Furthermore, Corazón’s education and vocational programs help individuals gain skills to increase their earning potential and thus their ability to purchase land for a home if they should choose.

          • Costs as percentage of income: 28

          • Financing: The housing initiative is funded through Corazón’s sponsor groups. The initiative is currently self-sustainable, with slight profits that are used to fund scholarship and community development programs. Beneficiaries do not contribute to the direct monetary cost of the program, however their participation and investment contributes to community development and ultimately catapults them toward ending the cycle of poverty.

10) Effectiveness

          • Project outcomes: The outcome of Corazón’s current housing initiative has been dramatically increased housing for participants, and for members of the five Mexican communities where Corazón is active. On average, Corazón completes 240 construction projects each year. As Corazón has been actively constructing homes since 1978, this is a considerable number of families who have received housing estimated at 4,320. These numbers refer to the housing initiative, total beneficiaries are much increased from these numbers.

          • Number of clients in past year: Approximately 240 families have benefited from the housing initiative during this past year.

          • Percentage of clients that are poor or marginalized: 100

          • Potential demand: The magnitude of potential demand for this service is sizeable, however programs such as these require volunteers, funding, or both. This limit’s the serviceable population to perhaps 500,000 - 1 million people in reach of these requirements. Creative alterations could be made regarding funding which would allow this type of program to reach far more people, perhaps in the 1-5 million range. The construction of the "house in a day," is replicable and opens a world of opportunity to those without a solid home.

11) Scaling up strategy

          • Stage of the initiative: Mature stage.

          • Expansion plan: The magnitude of potential demand for this service is sizeable, however programs such as these require volunteers, funding, or both. This limit’s the serviceable population to perhaps 500,000 - 1 million people in reach of these requirements.

12) Origin of the initiative: Corazón’s housing initiative was actually founded in 1972 by a group of three volunteers who simply wanted to “help.” These three individuals began by taking needed items to families in Mexico and gradually the organization grew into a more systematic approach with a wider volunteer base. In 1978 Corazón began their first construction project. Over the next ten years the construction morphed from basic home repairs to complete construction of a solid home, including a cement foundation. Corazón has continued to grow due to their solid volunteer base and programs. Individuals on both sides of the border are drawn to the organization and continue to pour their efforts into building relationships and houses across borders.

Contact Information:
Katherine  Frieboes
Development Volunteer
Corazón
(Non-profit, NGO)
PO Box 2669 Laguna Hills, CA 92654
United States
Tel: 949-830-7494
Fax: 949-830-7429
Email: Nupaint101@aol.com
Website: www.corazon.org