“When I found out I was accepted to the Habitat Partner Family program, I knew my future, and my kids’ future, was changing. I want to show my kids that if you work hard, you can achieve any goal.” – Shymora Cooper, Burnet Commons III Homeowner
To qualify for the program, future homeowners must:
- Have lived or worked in Charlottesville, Albemarle, Buckingham, Louisa or Greene for at least the past 12 months
- Meet income requirements
In addition to these criteria, future homeowners are selected on the basis of three primary factors:
Housing Need
Applicants must have a housing need such as:
- Insufficient housing: family living with relatives/friends, in shelter, other temporary living situations, homelessness.
- Problems with your current building: such as rotting wood, water damage, missing floorboards, unsafe/missing handrails, inadequate heating, electricity, plumbing, insufficient fire exits, hazardous or toxic materials, etc.
- Issue with landlord: inadequate landlord maintenance
- Safety issues: unsafe neighborhood
- Overcrowding: more than 3 family members in a bedroom, insufficient bedrooms.
- High rent: 30% or more of family gross income spent on housing
Willingness to Partner with Habitat
Applicants must show a willingness to work with Habitat in a true partnership:
- Applicants must complete sweat equity hours (average of 200-500 hours) on the construction of their own or other Habitat homes. For those with disabilities or others unable to work at a job site there are other volunteer opportunities available to fulfill this requirement.
- Attendance at recommended homeownership classes, community conversations, and meetings.
- Disclosure of personal financial situation, including employment history, household income, and current debt burden
- Participation in a home owner association, where applicable
Ability to Pay
Applicants must demonstrate the ability to pay the monthly mortgage payment:
- Documented verifiable income
- Stable employment or income
- Reasonable credit history or willingness to work with Habitat to improve credit and develop a reasonable repayment plan for outstanding debts
- Demonstrated ability to repay a 15 – 30 year loan
