As home lending dries up, Habitat for Humanity affiliates in the Washington, D.C., area are seeing a spike in interest in Habitat homes and are looking for innovative solutions to the foreclosure crisis, reports The Washington Post.

Charlene McCall, executive director for Habitat in suburban Prince George’s County, Md., said attendance has doubled at the volunteer home-building organization’s information meetings on obtaining housing. Dennis Smyth, interim chief of the Washington branch, said rising donations from individuals are helping make up for a drop in corporate giving.

In Montgomery County, Md., Habitat is collaborating with local governments to buy and rehabilitate foreclosed homes — the first such effort by a U.S. Habitat branch, according to John Paukstis, the Montgomery chapter’s executive director.

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