Meet Paris/Lamar County Habitat for Humanity
Serving Paris and Lamar County communities
Our Mission:
In partnership with God and with the support of a caring community,
Paris/Lamar County Habitat helps low income,
deserving families in Paris and Lamar County
work to earn simple, decent, affordable housing
and improve the exteriors of existing homes with minor repairs and painting.
History of Paris/Lamar County
Habitat for Humanity
Paris/Lamar County Habitat for Humanity has a rich history rooted in a commitment to community service and affordable housing. Originally organized as Paris Habitat for Humanity in 1993, the organization became an official affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International in September 1995, aligning itself with the global mission to eliminate substandard housing.
In the summer of 2011, recognizing the need to better serve a broader community, the organization officially changed its name from Paris Habitat for Humanity to Paris/Lamar County Habitat for Humanity. This change reflected a renewed dedication to addressing the housing needs not only in Paris but throughout Lamar County.
Since its inception, Paris/Lamar County Habitat for Humanity has been steadfast in its mission to bring people together to build homes, communities, and hope. Through the hard work of dedicated volunteers, donors, and partner families, the organization continues to make a significant impact, providing decent, affordable housing and fostering strength, stability, and self-reliance for families in the community.
26
Homes have been built in Lamar County
100
Volunteers helped us build our last home
3000
Volunteer hours to build our last home
Ready to get involved?
By investing in a family's future today, you're not just providing shelter, but also hope and opportunity. Your support helps families lay down the foundation for a stable and secure future, fostering strength, resilience, and independence. Together, we can make a lasting impact and build brighter tomorrows for families in need.
Staff and Board of Directors
Meet our new Executive Director
Marion Hutchison
"A former teacher, Marion Hutchison, took over the reins as executive director of Paris/Lamar County Habitat for Humanity on Jan. 1 upon the retirement of longtime director Judy Martin. Hutchison retired as an educator at the end of the year to take the position after teaching 25 years."
The
History
The origins of Habitat for Humanity trace back to the fertile grounds of Koinonia Farm, situated outside Americus, Georgia, where Clarence Jordan, a farmer and biblical scholar, laid the foundation for the organization. Collaborating with eventual founders Millard and Linda Fuller, Jordan pioneered the concept of "partnership housing," wherein individuals in need of adequate shelter worked alongside volunteers to construct decent, affordable homes. These homes were built at no profit, with new homeowners' payments combined with no-interest loans and funds from "The Fund for Humanity," enabling the construction of more homes.
The transformative impact of this model was vividly demonstrated when Beau and Emma became the first beneficiaries of Koinonia's Partnership Housing Program. Their transition from a humble, unpainted shack lacking basic amenities to a modern, comfortable home with proper facilities underscored the tangible difference made by Habitat's approach. Inspired by their success, the Fullers extended the program to Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, before returning to the United States to establish Habitat for Humanity International in 1976.
Since its inception, Habitat has evolved and expanded its reach, with build site locations proliferating across the globe. Yet, the core mission remains unchanged: to empower families to build or improve homes they can truly call their own. With the steadfast commitment of individuals like former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, who have championed Habitat's cause, the organization has touched the lives of millions, offering them the means to achieve strength, stability, and independence through safe, decent, and affordable housing.
Habitat's Faith Foundation
Our faith is the foundation for our mission. We invite people of all motivations to join us in building homes, communities and hope.
At Habitat for Humanity, our vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Our faith is foundational to how we pursue this vision, as we highlight in our mission statement: Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.
We chose housing as the means to put our faith into action because housing serves as a foundation for the health, education, well-being, equity and wealth of families and communities. The process of bringing people together to expand decent housing sparks change, and so we joyfully invite supporters, employees, advocates and partners of all backgrounds — of all faiths and no faith — to our work. Coming together with communities around the world to change their housing circumstances is a demonstration of our Christian values.
Staying centered on loving and serving with our neighbors is captured in the first of five mission principles that guide our work: Demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ. Christians often use the term agape love — the unconditional, sacrificial love that is most concerned with the well-being of others — to describe what Jesus exemplified in his life, suffering and death. At Habitat for Humanity, we seek to emulate that kind of love in the following ways:
Love all our neighbors
God’s love compels us to see every human as a neighbor. Inspired by how Jesus lived, we make opportunities for people of all kinds — different faiths, ethnicities, political affiliations, sexual and gender identities, and socioeconomic classes — to serve alongside, learn from and reconcile with one another. In our divided world, Habitat for Humanity has consistently built bridges that transcend the things that make us different, rooted in our founding as an organization that seeks to be radically inclusive.
Do justice
Scripture is clear about how we create a more just world: We are called to correct systemic and interpersonal injustice as an expression of God’s love. The God-seeking early residents of Koinonia Farm were emboldened by their belief in the justice vision of the Kingdom of God as they faced threats of violence, boycotts and excommunication. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. often described his idea of a just world as a Beloved Community, an active spirit of hope and goodwill that holds space for tension. Injustice in housing is widespread, holding people back based on gender, ethnicity, race, age, physical ability and other factors. At Habitat for Humanity, we are compelled to correct these injustices.
Walk humbly with God
Faith in God equips us to take on hard things — such as tackling the global housing crisis — and to pursue connection with others rooted in curiosity and hope. We seek truth and acknowledge that all the answers are not within us. And just as Jesus did, we look to God with humility. Our continual search for God’s guidance in our mission helps us recognize our shortcomings, forgive others, stay open to change, and walk as servants among equals.
Ready to get involved?
By investing in a family's future today, you're not just providing shelter, but also hope and opportunity. Your support helps families lay down the foundation for a stable and secure future, fostering strength, resilience, and independence. Together, we can make a lasting impact and build brighter tomorrows for families in need.
Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.
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