Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. Founded in 1990, we are headquartered in Arlington, VA. We build homes in Arlington and Fairfax Counties as well as the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, and Fairfax.

Who is Habitat for Humanity International?

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit housing ministry founded on ecumenical Christian principles by Millard Fuller in 1976. Since then, Habitat for Humanity International has built over 400,000 homes around the globe, working alongside communities to give over 2 million people worldwide with safe, affordable, decent shelter. Habitat for Humanity does this through community-based offices called affiliates which run in partnership with Habitat for Humanity International. There are more than 1,500 affiliates in the United States and 550 international affiliates laboring in over 3,000 communities around the world. Each affiliate is locally owned and independently run (like a franchise) and is in charge of all the nuts and bolts of Habitat home construction and fundraising in its target area.

Who is Habitat Northern Virginia?

Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia is the local affiliate that coördinates all the work that goes into building homes in our service area, which includes Arlington and Fairfax counties, Falls Church, Alexandria, and Fairfax. All the fundraising, build site selection, home construction, mortgage servicing, and partner family selection and support in Northern Virginia is done locally by Habitat Northern Virginia. Since our founding in 1990, we have built homes for more than 300 people, including 180 children! Our unique approach to home building in the Washington, DC metro region includes participating in the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, a project funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and building multi-family housing.

Does Habitat Give Homes Away?

No, Habitat does not give away homes. We are committed to giving hard-working families a hand up, not a hand out. Families are carefully selected by the Habitat Northern Virginia Family Selection Committee on the basis of their need, willingness to partner and help build, rental history, adequate credit score, and ability to pay the mortgage. All are welcome to apply to be Habitat homeowners and to collaborate on the build, regardless of background, race, or religion. Once a family is selected, they must commit to putting in 300 to 500 hours of work on the construction of their home, what we call “sweat equity.” After they move into their home, they pay their affordable mortgage at a zero percent interest rate directly to their Habitat affiliate, Habitat Northern Virginia. Those funds are then used to pay for the building of new Habitat homes in the area.

Who is Involved in Habitat Builds?

Building homes for deserving families in our neighborhoods requires the investment and collaboration of a myriad of community members, including you! Habitat families invest their sweat equity into their own homes and those of their neighbors.  Habitat volunteers show up on build days to put up walls, paint, do landscaping, and build relationships with one another.  House Sponsors – typically faith groups, businesses, or other philanthropic groups – commit to funding various aspects of the construction of a home. Sponsorship levels range from $5,000 (front door, mailboxes, lobby balcony, and landscaping) to $150,000 (the cost to build a complete Habitat home). Stores donate or discount building materials such as drywall, flooring, paint, and lumber.  Corporate sponsors and individual donors who recognize the importance of building up our local community donate generously to fund our building projects and administrative expenses.  Those who volunteer and donate to our two area ReStores in Alexandria and Chantilly are also a vital piece of the puzzle, as revenue from the ReStores help Habitat Northern Virginia keep our doors open and our lights on.