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Selection Criteria Who Is Eligible?
♦ You must live and/or work in the Atlanta metro area prior to applying. ♦ You must be a U.S. citizen or a legal, permanent resident. ♦ Past bankruptcies will not be held against you, but they must be discharged before you apply. Homeowners are selected by our volunteer Family Selection Committee on the basis of three criteria: 1. Need 2. Ability to Pay 3. Willingness to partner (Click on the link to learn more about that criteria.) The Family Selection Committee is comrpised of a variety of people (board members, Habitat homeowners, volunteers) who evaluate all application materials and collaboratively select new Habitat homeowners. |
 Homeowner families at The Avery. |
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| Need
Partner families must demonstrate the need for better housing.
Demonstration of need may include any of the following: ♦ Overcrowding ♦ Paying a high percentage of your income on housing and utilities ♦ Substandard conditions that propose a threat to your families health such as a leaky roof, lead paint, mold, or pest infestation ♦ Neighborhoods that are deemed unsafe for children to play outside. |
 These homes are right here in the Southern Crescent. SCHFH welcomes your help to eliminate poverty housing and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. (Mickey Desai/SCHFH) |
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| Ability to Pay
Habitat homeowners purchase thier house with a zero-interest, zero profit mortgage. If you are selected as a partner family, you will be responsible for making your montly mortgage payments on time.
The following information will help you understand how we calculate your Ability to Pay the modest mortgage on your Habitat home.
Income
Determination of Ability to Pay requires that the total gross household income (the amount before taxes or other deductions) must fall within the posted range for your household size. Income includes wages from work, Social Security, disability, SSI, food stamps, TANF and court-ordered child support. |
 This couple receives credit counseling to work out a payment plan for old debts. They will re-apply for a Habitat house next year. (Steffan Hacker/HFHI) |
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Credit
SCHFH strongly encourages anyone who is considering applying for homeownership to begin to reduce their debt. We do not expect a perfect credit history, but we cannot accept applicants who have excessive debts that could be turned into liens against real estate property. If your debts seem unmanageable, we urge you to call Consumer Credit Counseling Service . CCCS will not only help you clean up your credit, they may be able to help you reduce the total amount you need to pay.
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| Willingness to Partner
Each adult in the household must complete 300 hours of sweat equity. Sweat equity primarily consists of labor building others’ houses and your own house. This may include demanding physical work in various conditions. (Construction training classes are available.)
A portion of your sweat equity, 50 hours, consists of homeowner education workshops and classes. If you are disabled or have medical conditions that don’t permit the standard construction hours, we will work out a plan based on what you can do (doctor’s note required). Family and friends may help you earn up to 100 hours of construction sweat equity. We expect the families we select to become full partners with us. At a minimum, Willingness To Partner includes: ♦ Filling out applications completely, correctly, truthfully and on time
♦ Meeting the schedule SCHFH sets for down-payment installments ($75 per month) ♦ Attending all required homeowner education and construction classes with a positive attitude ♦ Maintaining a courteous demeanor and pleasant attitude when dealing with volunteers and staff at the construction site |
 This homeowner learned a variety of skills which she used to frame her own home and her neighbors' homes. (Suzy Dolan/SCHFH) |
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