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Together, we build opportunity

Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County works alongside families to help them build and purchase homes with affordable mortgages. Our Homeownership Program provides a practical path to owning your first home. To qualify, you’ll need to meet income and credit guidelines, demonstrate steady employment, and be ready to actively partner with us throughout your journey to homeownership.

If you answer yes to the following you may qualify

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Need for Housing

  • I need housing and do not own my own home.​

  • I am currently overburdened by the cost of rent and/or utilities.

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Willingness to Partner

  • I am willing to partner with Habitat to fulfill the required sweat equity hours, attend homeowner education classes and monthly meetings and complete required financial plans.

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Ability to Pay

  • I have the ability to purchase an available home and pay an affordable mortgage payment.

  • I have not declared bankruptcy in the last two years or lost a home to foreclosure in the last four years.

  • I have paid my monthly bills on time for the last 12 months.

Each homeowner must be able to pay $1,500 towards closing costs, the first year of homeowner’s insurance and monthly house payments. Refer to the income chart below to determine eligibility based on household size.

Still interested? The first step in applying for a Habitat home is to attend a homeownership meeting where we will walk you through the steps of the program and you can fill out a pre-application with details on your financial situation. Register for one of our upcoming meetings!

If you meet the initial qualifications based on your pre-application we’ll invite you to a smaller informal meeting and walk you through how to fill out the full application as well as all other details and documents you’ll need to provide. At that point, there is a $30 fee per applicant for credit check.
 

From there, you’ll work directly with our Homeownership team to determine your final eligibility, schedule a home visit, and sign a partnership agreement to become a homeowner!

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