Greater New Haven Habitat for Humanity
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Becoming a Habitat Homeowner

Thank you for your interest in Habitat for Humanity’s homeownership program. Habitat’s mission is to eliminate poverty housing by building simple, decent houses for low-income working families. Habitat seeks to work with those who do not qualify for a conventional mortgage and would have no other way to be able to own a home of their own.

Habitat’s homeownership program is based upon the concept of partnership. Habitat’s commitment to that partnership is to build a simple, decent home and sell it with a 0% interest mortgage, as well as to provide families with the necessary education to become long-term successful homeowners. Partner families commit to completing 400 hours of “sweat equity” helping to build their own and other Habitat homes, to following program guidelines and to repaying the mortgage.

If you are interested in becoming a Habitat homeowner, please call the Habitat office at 203-785-0794 to request an information packet. After carefully reviewing the information, please determine whether you are eligible for our homebuyers program as outlined in Requirements for Homeownership Applicants, Application Criteria 2012 and the current HUD income limits.

The application process consists of completion of the application form, credit check, an office interview, fourteen (14) hours of volunteer work on a Habitat work site, and a home interview.

There are several things that you can do to prepare yourself for homeownership:

  1. Request a copy of your credit report. If there are any issues that you need to address, it is a good idea to begin soon. If you need assistance with credit issues, contact Consumer Credit Counseling Services at 1-800-208-2227.
  2. Shop around. There are a number of housing programs in New Haven that may also be able to assist you. Each housing program is different, and we encourage you to compare what each has to offer, so that you can find the route to homeownership that best meets your needs.
  3. Open a savings account. When purchasing a home, a down payment and closing costs are part of the process. Moving expenses, emergency home repairs, etc. are all steps that require a significant amount of money. Planning ahead with a savings account is one way to prepare for all the costs that lie ahead.

Habitat does not keep a waiting list. Each time we are ready to begin building a house, we hold an information meeting for prospective homebuyers. We announce the meeting date, time and location:

  • On the front page of our website
  • In the New Haven Register (and other area newspapers as appropriate)
  • In the New Haven Public Library electronic bulletin (which you can subscribe to)
  • With flyers left at the New Haven Public Library (all branches)

You are always welcome to call the Habitat office at (203) 785-0794 to inquire if there is a meeting scheduled.