AFFORDABLE HOME OWNERSHIP BUILDS BETTER COMMUNITIES

The Habitat for Humanity model harnesses the power of volunteers, the generosity of donors and the commitment of homeowners to make affordable home ownership a reality in Northern Virginia.

Criteria

All interested applicants must meet the following initial criteria:

• Have lived in Northern Virginia (Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, or Fairfax City) for at least one year prior to application.
• Currently be living in either substandard or inadequate housing. This may include overcrowded or unsafe living conditions.
• Be willing to partner with Habitat to complete 300 – 500 hours of “sweat-equity” in the building of their home and other Habitat homes.
• Earn 30% – 50% of the area median income.
• Have adequate income to pay a 20-30 year no-interest mortgage with a 1% down payment.

Process

Those interested in applying for a Habitat home are invited to attend an orientation meeting held by the Family Selection Committee.  These meetings are held when Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia has land to build. Applications are completed and submitted at the meeting. Habitat for Humanity adheres to a strict non-discrimination policy and all Fair Housing Laws. We build for families of all faiths.

All applications submitted at the orientation are reviewed by the Family Selection Committee to ensure criteria are met.

Orientations

We anticipate the next orientation will be held in Spring 2014.  To be notified of scheduled orientations, please join our email list, and select “potential homeowner mailings.”

	Join Email List

Steps

• A home visit is arranged with the most qualified applicants.
• Credit, employment, and references are checked.
• Families who are accepted or rejected are notified of their status by mail.
• Families are accepted provisionally into the program until they have completed 50 hours of “sweat equity.”
• Families who are selected to participate in the program must work the required sweat equity and attend the required classes in order to purchase the home when it is completed.
• In addition to those accepted for homes, a few back-up families are notified that they may have an opportunity for housing if a selected family drops out of the program for any reason.