Applicants must be within a certain income level but able to make $350 mortgage payments to be considered.
By BETH N. GRAY
Published March 2, 2004
Habitat for Humanity of Hernando County is looking for a few good people who need a hand up rather than a handout.
The local and international organization's mission is to build homes for - and with - individuals or families who are living in substandard or overcrowded conditions or who can't afford a home of their own without some outside assistance.
To that end, Habitat is holding a series of meetings this month in Spring Hill and Brooksville to educate potential partner families about its program and help them complete applications for home ownership.
Partner families buy their homes through Habitat-held mortgages. But because the houses are built with donated material and by volunteers who give their labor for free, the cost is greatly reduced.
"I think people think it's a handout, and it's not. It's a hand up," said Barbara Sweinberg, whose job with Habitat is to find family partners to join in the construction and ultimately purchase the homes.
Buyers of Hernando Habitat's 20 homes have included a teacher, certified nursing assistant, school bus driver, restaurant employee, medical office billing clerk, families on disability and a single parent with a disabled adult offspring, Sweinberg said. Some new homeowners are single parents; others are families with two working parents.
Homes are built to suit a family's needs, usually two, three or four bedrooms. Habitat owners will move into two new homes in June, one on Irving Street in Spring Hill and another along Stubbs Street in Brooksville. The next house is scheduled for construction this summer on Irving Street.
"We try to help the people that really want to live in better housing," Sweinberg said. "Qualified home buyers are not applying. We're getting applications from people who don't have enough money to make payments. We're finding that people who are applying don't have sufficient income or they're not working and can't repay (the mortgage). They're too poor."
The $350 monthly mortgage payments are "quite affordable" for working people, Sweinberg said. The monthly amount includes principal, property taxes, insurance and annual termite inspection. Mortgages range from 15 years to 30 years, depending on a family's ability to pay.
Hernando Habitat needs the income in order to build one new house a year.
"We use the mortgage money to build more houses," Sweinberg said.
Moreover, a family that buys a home rather than having it given to them is likely to have more respect for it, she said.
For that reason, Habitat requires a partner family to invest its own "sweat equity" in construction of the home. For instance, a single head of household is required to put in 300 hours of work on the project, while a two-income family must devote 500 hours to the effort. Family and friends may volunteer to contribute "sweat equity" hours.
The work requirement has not been a problem, Sweinberg said.
"They enjoy working there because they develop pride in ownership. They learn skills. They know what's behind the walls," she said. "When you put your sweat into a building, you're going to take care of it."
For those who become Habitat homeowners, the organization provides education in home maintenance: how to replace a broken window, how to fix a screen door, how to take care of the air conditioning, Sweinberg said.
"When you're a renter and (then) a homeowner, it's a new world," she said.
Eligibility criteria for Habitat home ownership include Hernando County residency for at least a year and income guidelines of $17,700 to $28,300 annually for an individual, and between $33,350 and $53,350 per year for a family of eight.
Applicants are considered if a person/family doesn't qualify for a government or conventional bank loan, if living in substandard, crowded or temporary (including rental) housing, and if the family has sufficient income to pay the mortgage.
Prospective applicants who attend the upcoming orientation meetings should have photo identification, such as a driver's license, proof of address, such as a utility bill, income verification, such as pay stubs or tax returns, employer's name and address, list of debts, name of landlords over the past three years, assets such as savings and checking accounts, reference from a non-family member stating why they need help with housing and a credit report.
Credit reports, Sweinberg said, are available free via the Internet, and staffers at Hernando public libraries will assist in obtaining them.
Sweinberg said Habitat doesn't look at the reports the way a bank does. For instance, the organization doesn't take into account medical bills or outlays for schooling.
"We look at whether they are responsible in paying bills," she said.
HOW TO APPLY TO BE A HABITAT HOMEOWNER
Upcoming orientation and application meetings for Habitat for Humanity
