HabitatForHumanityOfGreenvilleCountry

Does the applicant own the house?

Yes, approved applicants purchase the house from Habitat at no profit through an interest free loan. This gives individuals in the Habitat program an opportunity to build equity and break the cycle of poverty by having a solid investment in their own real estate and building value for their family. The revenue from mortgages goes into a revolving fund that supports Habitat in its efforts to build more houses. Average monthly payments are about $350, including property taxes and homeowner’s insurance.

How does Habitat qualify its applicants?

All applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be living below the standard poverty level.
• Be employed a minimum of 1 year on current job or have 2 years of verifiable income.
• Be able to enter into an agreement with Habitat that they can afford to pay the modest monthly mortgage. If credit issues exist, those must be addressed before continuing in the program.
• Have a definite housing need—either be living in unsafe, unstable conditions or be paying excessive rent in relation to their income.
• Be willing to partner with Habitat by completing a minimum of 250 hours of volunteer service to Habitat, known as “sweat equity.” These hours are divided into categories that include construction build sites, community partnering, and educational sessions.

Who pays for the cost of building the houses?

Family Partners fund construction of the houses. Volunteers provide much of the construction labor. The average sale price of a home is $80,000

Sometimes a business, church, or organization will fund an entire house and supply all the volunteer support. Or, businesses, organizations or churches may choose to partner together to fund and build a home.

Grading, foundation work, electrical, drywall, plumbing and HVAC are sub-contracted to licensed, paid professionals.

Instead of cash sponsorships, “Gift in Kind” contributions may be made for various materials or supplies. A Gift in Kind contribution can be a very attractive way to support our work. Arrangements are made with our Director of Construction.

The remaining construction aspects— jobs like framing, siding, roofing, interior trim, painting, and landscaping—are completed by skilled and unskilled volunteers. These are individuals, future homeowners, and groups from churches, organizations, and businesses.  Highly skilled volunteers on our Quality Assurance Teams (QATs) ensure that quality standards are met.

Who actually builds the houses?

Volunteers provide much of the construction labor. These are individuals, future homeowners, and groups from churches, organizations, and businesses.  We also have a full-time Director of Construction who oversees all building projects, as well as a group of retired individuals who give their time to make sure the houses pass building inspections.