If your family, or a family you know, is in need of decent affordable housing, please contact your local Habitat affiliate. Use the Michigan affiliate directory to find the affiliate in your area. Or call the Habitat for Humanity help line at 1-800-422-4862 to find affiliates in Michigan and in other states as well.
Habitat for Humanity offers a homeownership opportunity to families unable to obtain conventional house financing – generally those whose income is 30 to 50 percent of the area’s median income.
Families are selected based on:
- Level of need
- Willingness to perform ‘sweat equity hours’
- Ability to pay the no-profit loan
In most cases, prospective Habitat families make a down payment and contribute 250 to 500 hours of ‘sweat equity’ on the construction of their home. Mortgages payments are kept affordable because of the donated of materials and volunteer labor.
What is sweat equity?
Sweat equity is an exciting cornerstone to the Habitat ministry designed to meet three important goals:
- Partnership – Sweat equity provides meaningful interaction between partner families, affiliate representatives and Habitat volunteers
- Pride in homeownership – Investing in sweat equity hours in their own homes helps families in the construction phase begin the transition to homeownership.
- Development of skills and knowledge – On the building site, partner family members gain a real understanding of the construction of their home and of the maintenance issues they will face in occupancy.
Habitat for Humanity follows a non-discriminatory policy of family selection.