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Becoming a Homeowner |
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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 228-1490 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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