Becoming a Homeowner
Selection of families for Habitat housing is based on three things:Need for adequate housing
Ability to pay
Willingness to partner
The
first two items are easily defined. Families living in over-crowded
conditions, houses with unsafe wiring, poor insulation or leaky roofs
are some examples of inadequate housing.
Ability to pay means
that the family can make the mortgage payment on time and still afford
to pay for utilities, food, transportation and all of the other
necessities. It also means the family has established a record of
paying their other bills on time. It does not mean that you don’t have
any debts, only that you have established a record of paying your bills
as you agreed to do. Families who are chosen to partner with Habitat
sometimes have debts that have been placed in collection or “written
off” as uncollectible. These families must establish a payment plan
with their creditors and show proof that they are paying as agreed
BEFORE they can move into their home, even if they have completed all
of their volunteer hours.
Willingness to partner is not so easy to define but it includes the following:
· you and Habitat work together as a team
· you treat all volunteers and staff with respect
· you show up on time for each task that you volunteered to do
·
You understand that people who you do not know and may never meet are
working to help YOU obtain a home and expect nothing from you in return
except to help some one else if and when possible.
Each Habitat
family is required to contribute 200 “sweat equity” hours on the
construction site. The most important aspect of partnering is
that you do what you agreed to do, promptly and without constant
reminders. Your “sweat equity” is just one way of demonstrating that
you are serious about your commitment to partner with Habitat.
Successfully
completing Habitat’s Homeowner Preparation Classes and participating in
budget counseling classes are also mandatory requirements for Habitat
families. The homeowner classes explain the responsibilities of home
ownership while budget counseling teaches how to manage money and set
priorities so bills can be paid on time. Both programs help prepare you
for the responsibility of home ownership.
Applications for
housing through Habitat are only available when you attend an
application meeting. The next meeting will be held “TO BE
ANNOUNCED” . You must call the office at 717-867-1044 to
pre-register.
When attending an application meeting you must bring the following items with you:- Current source of income — 1 month of pay stubs.
- Copy of last tax return
- Social Security number for all adults who are applying
- Debts — you must know the name of the company, the amount you owe, and the amount of your monthly payment
- Bank
account information — you must know the name of the financial
institution carrying the account, your account number, and the amount
in the account for checking, savings, retirement plans, Christmas
Clubs, etc.
- Monthly bills — utilities, rent, car payments, etc.
Who do you pay money to and how much do you pay each month? You need
the name, address, and phone number of your landlord.
- Work history
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