Becoming a Homeowner

Selecting Perfect Families
by Millard Fuller, founder and president of Habitat for Humanity

Choosing the families to own and occupy Habitat for Humanity houses is one of the most difficult and challenging aspects of this ministry. How can the best, and most deserving, families be located and selected for the houses to be built or renovated by local Habitat affiliates? [...] I often have said that the Family Selection Committee is the most important one in Habitat for Humanity. I say that because Habitat is a people-centered work, and not merely a house-building organization. We are about people-building and community-building as well as house-building. But how can right choices be made in selecting the families? How can absolutely ideal families be found and chosen? The answer is wisdom. There is no substitute. A wise, thoughtful process is an absolute prerequisite to choosing the right families. Let me review some of the basics of the process.

First, families should be chosen who are living in inadequate or substandard conditions. Such circumstances may be caused by overcrowding or by the deplorable physical conditions of the dwelling, or some other factors that constitute “inadequate or substandard” living conditions.

Next, the families must have incomes that are too low to enable them to secure conventional financing from a bank or other traditional lending institution, but sufficient for them to make the monthly payments required on the no-profit, no-interest Habitat mortgage.

Finally, families must be willing to fulfill the requirements of Habitat homeownership by putting in the mandatory “sweat-equity” hours in building their own houses and other Habitat houses. And, the families must be willing to be good stewards of the houses after they move in.


We are looking for partner families for Habitat for Humanity homes. The basic qualifications required to become a homeowner are:

Need

We look for families who are living in inadequate housing and who don't have the financial resources to buy a home without some help. Need may be determined based on any of the following reasons:

Lack of basic plumbing, heat, appliances or general poor conditions

Overcrowding – more than two children of the same gender per bedroom, no separate bedroom for adults

checkmarkRent is currently more than 30 percent of gross income


Ability to Pay

We look for families who have a stable income, either from employment or from other legitimate sources, who have an acceptable credit history, and who don't have excessive debt:

checkmarkTotal household income within Topeka Habitat guidelines, 25 – 60% of area median income

checkmarkHistory of financial responsibility; stable employment record / steady income

checkmarkReasonable credit history: Non-medical collections must be less than $1,000 and paid down to $0 if approved. No unsatisfied judgments on credit report or civil records. Outstanding credit must be manageable within a budget.

checkmarkNo bankruptcies discharged within the last 2 years.

Willingness to Partner

We look for potential Habitat homeowners who will partner with Topeka Habitat in the following ways:

checkmarkHonesty on the application

checkmarkComplete required minimum 300 sweat equity (volunteer) hours

checkmarkPay house payment on time each month

checkmarkCommitment to make this area their permanent home

checkmarkParticipate in sharing their Habitat story with the community


If you or someone you know meet the guidelines above you can print an application form with the link provided. Refer to the Contact page for how to reach us for additional information or to get in touch with someone to review your qualifications.

 

Apply for a Home

To apply for a Home, you may click on the image above or here to download a printable applicaion in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.