How does a Habitat house become a home?

Hello friends!

October is well under way.

And we will be breaking ground on the new home build in just a few weeks.

You might be curious – just how does a Habitat home get into the hands of a new homeowner?

It’s not a handout, as some people might think.

A Habitat Homeowner is…

1. In need of decent housing.
2. Willing to put in “sweat equity” hours to help build the home and take classes to learn about home ownership.
3. Able to pay an affordable mortgage for the home.

Here are the specifics.

1. We screen family applicants for their need of decent housing.
2. We also look at their ability to pay a no-interest mortgage on the base cost of the home.
3. The family must also partner with 250 “sweat equity” hours to help build the home and learn about home ownership.
4. After a thorough review and interviews, a family is chosen.
5. The family takes homeowner classes, like in finance and repairs. (Who here wishes they’d had a few of those?!)
6. While that is all going on, the affiliate is raising funds to build the house, securing volunteers, and managing the preparation to build the home.
7. Then, we build.
8. After around 4-5 months, the home is finished, with many amazing days logged of hard, joyful work across volunteers, staff, and the family.
9. Once the home is finalized and inspected, the home is sold and the homeowner pays an affordable mortgage. That money is recycled back into the process of building more homes.
10. Finally we have a home dedication to celebrate this major milestone for the family and for the community.

There’s a lot more involved than some people think.

And we may have just sparked some questions for you. Let us know, and we’ll answer them!

We want to make sure that you, your family, your neighbors, and your friends know how a Habitat home finds a family. It’s a great model, and it works.

And we won’t stop building until everyone has a decent place to live – that they can afford.

Please let us know your questions by via email, and thank you for your support today.

Sincerely,

Sharon Steele

Executive Director