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The Facts

What is Habitat for Humanity?
  • A non-profit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry
  • We seek to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.
  • To accomplish these goals, we invite people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need.
  • Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 by Millard Fuller, along with his wife, Linda.
How does it work?
  • Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses alongside our homeowner (partner) families.
  • Habitat is not a give-away program.  In addition to a down payment and monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor (sweat equity) into building their Habitat house and the homes of others.
  • Habitat homes are sold to partner families at no profit and financed with affordable loans.
  • The homeowner's monthly mortgage payments are used to build more Habitat houses.
How are partner families selected?
  • Families in need of decent shelter apply to local Habitat affiliates.
  • The affiliate's family selection committee chooses homeowners based on their level of need, their willingness to become a partner and their ability to repay the loan.
  • Every affiliate follows a non-discriminatory policy of family selection.
  • Neither race nor religion is a factor in choosing the families who receive a Habitat Home.
What are Habitat affiliates?
  • Community-level Habitat for Humanity offices that act in partnership with and on-behalf of Habitat for Humanity International.  Each affiliate is an independently run, non-profit organization.
  • Each affiliate coordinated all aspects of Habitat home building in its local area - fund-raising, building site selection, partner family selection and support, house construction, and mortgage servicing.

Our Purpose

Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing organization. Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with people in need to build and renovate decent, affordable housing. The houses then are sold to those in need at no profit and with no interest charged.

Our Method

Volunteers provide most of the labor, and individual and corporate donors provide money and materials to build Habitat houses. Partner families themselves invest hundreds of hours of labor - "sweat equity" - into building their homes and the homes of others. Their mortgage payments go into a revolving Fund for Humanity that is used to build more houses. Warren County Habitat for Humanity locates and trains a Sponsor/Advocate/Friend (SAF) for each Partner family. This individual or couple works with each Partner throughout the process of planning, building and settling into their new home. Habitat's philosophy is to work WITH not FOR our Partners.

Our Goals

To build or rehabilitate two dwellings annually somewhere in Warren County for sale at cost to qualifying individuals or families having limited incomes (25% - 50% of the median for Warren County). Persons must be living in substandard housing at the time of their approval as Partners.  Each able-bodied adult who will reside in a finished house commits to investing a minimum of 250 hours of "sweat equity" in the construction of his or her own and others' houses or in approved forms of community service.

Our Board

Executive Director: Agi Gavin
President: Jim Thorius
Vice President: Tom Comfort
Treasurer: Mike Tjelmeland
Secretary: Jo Ellen Vander Velden
Clint Richey
Deloris Collins
Homer Ford
Jim Watts
Gary “Lee” Bleeker
Loren Bartlett
Ray Vander Velden
Rick Carter
Russ Vanderhoef
Sandy Condon

Click here for more information
on Habitat for Humanity International