MELBOURNE, Australia – Nissan has revved up a community drive to put disaster-affected and disadvantaged Australian families into their own safe, decent and affordable homes.
The global car company has advanced its support for the Habitat for Humanity program to build low cost affordable new homes for people displaced by tragic catastrophes such as the 2009 Victorian Black Saturday bushfires and other families living in housing stress.
Nissan has handed over a fleet of its popular and powerful Navara for Habitat for Humanity volunteers to use during the construction of dozens of new houses around Australia.
In Victoria, five Navara utilities will help power the on-going development and construction of the 25-home Yea Heights Estate project and new projects at Drouin and Crib Point. Already, three families, including eight children, are living in and loving their new homes at Yea. Two more families are preparing to move in soon. Plans are underway for the next five houses to be built at Yea this year.
Another eight Nissan Navara vehicles will be used in other states to transport essential building materials, tow tool and hospitality trailers and to ferry tradespeople and volunteers engaged in maintenance and gardening projects at existing homes.
Habitat for Humanity provides affordable housing for people living in housing stress by sourcing volunteer labour and donated new building materials to bring a house to completion. It then sells the homes to its partner families at close to market value and supports the purchase by providing an interest-free loan. Loan repayments help to support the building of other new homes.
Celebrating 25 years of community service, Habitat for Humanity, Victoria has already completed 44 new homes in Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula and rural Victoria and more than 115 homes have been built nationally.
Habitat for Humanity, Victoria Executive Director Philip Curtis said the generosity of Nissan made it easier for Habitat for Humanity to build safe, decent and affordable housing for families.
"We offer a 'hand up; not a hand out' to assist families to become home owners and we are delighted by this provision of practical support from one of Habitat for Humanity's global charity partners," said Curtis.
"Nissan is delighted to support Habitat for Humanity," said Nissan Motor Company Australia Managing Director and CEO, William F. Peffer Jr.
"Assisting in the development of much-needed affordable housing is vital and Nissan is proud to be playing its part."
Operating world-wide, Habitat has helped construct 600,000 homes for more than two million people spanning 90 countries.
The great work of the not-for-profit charity has attracted the support of celebrity volunteers, including Hollywood heavyweights Brad Pitt and Harry Connick, Jr, former USA President Jimmy Carter and former Australian Cricket Captain Steve Waugh all pitching in to help to build homes.
With the construction of six new homes starting at Drouin and Crib Point, Habitat for Humanity, Victoria is on target to meet its ambitious goal of building a total of 80 new homes by the end of 2015.
About Nissan Motor Company
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 267,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4.9 million vehicles and generated revenue of 9.6 trillion yen (USD 116.16 billion) in fiscal 2012. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of over 60 models under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history.
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