What Does It Take….
Three things are required to own a Habitat for Humanity home:
Need — We look for families who are living in inadequate housing and who don’t have the financial resources to buy a home without some help.
Ability to Pay – We look for families who have a stable income, either from employment or from other legitimate sources, who have an acceptable credit history, and who don’t have excessive debt.
Willingness to Partner – We look for families who are willing to work hard to build their own home and also help build homes for other Habitat families, who are responsible neighbors, and who have shown that they are financially responsible by making regular payments to landlords, utility companies, and other creditors.
What Do You Mean by “Partner”?
Building a home with Habitat for Humanity is a partnership. Habitat makes a mortgage loan to the homeowners – but we’re not like the typical mortgage lender. Our home loans are interest-free, and our homeowners pay only for the cost of construction because labor is donated by volunteers.
When a family is selected to become a Habitat homeowner, a Family Partner is also selected to become a friend who will guide you through the process of learning to build your house and then take care of it. The hours that you spend building your house, and helping other families build theirs, is what we call “sweat equity.” Single-parent families must contribute 200 hours of sweat equity and two-parent families contribute 300 hours of sweat equity.
We also ask Habitat families to participate in publicity. Because we rely heavily on donations to pay for building materials, our families play a vital role in telling the Habitat story to the community.
Being a partner also means being faithful in paying the mortgage payments every month. Without those payments from every family, Habitat won’t have enough money to build more houses for other families who need them.
Is Habitat for Humanity a Religious Organization?
Habitat is an ecumenical Christian organization, but we partner with people of all faiths, and also with people who are not affiliated with any religion. It’s true that many religious groups help with building Habitat houses, but we don’t ask applicants to tell us anything about their religious beliefs.
Who Can Apply for a Habitat House?
Habitat for Humanity is for people who need a better place to live, and who are willing and able to take on the responsibility of home ownership. Habitat is a “hand up,” not a “hand out.” You must have lived in Franklin County for 6 months to be eligible.
When homeowner applications are reviewed by the Family Selection committee, we use the selection criteria in a way that does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, age, handicap, religion, national origin, family status or marital status, or because all or part of income is derived from any public assistance program.
What If I Can’t Do Physical Labor?
If a Habitat homeowner has physical limitations, Habitat will work with the person to identify other tasks that can be done to count toward the sweat equity requirement.
What Does a Habitat House Cost?
Down payment of $500 required after becoming approved as a partner family, payable in $50 installments over 10 months. Families will be interviewed in their homes by members of the Family Selection & Support Committee. The Habitat homeowner mortgage is a zero-interest loan. The amount of the loan is based on the value of all of the materials (whether donated of purchased), the cost of any labor that was paid for (e.g., for a certified plumber or electrician), and a small percentage for Habitat’s administrative costs. Labor that is donated by the partner family and by volunteers is not calculated into the mortgage amount. It is the donation of labor by volunteers and the 0% interest rate that makes the mortgage payments lower than the cost of purchasing a home on the market and makes home ownership a real possibility for low-income families. Mortgages can be for 20, 25, or 30 years, depending on the family’s financial situation.
How Do I Get Started?
Read this letter and fill out the Family Selection Application and return it to the address below.
*Applications should be sent to:
Habitat for Humanity of Franklin Co.
PO Box #291
Ottawa, KS 66067
What If I Have More Questions?
For upcoming application dates and details of the process, or for any other questions you might have, please call 785-242-2600.
