Thank you for your interest in Rochester Area Habitat for Humanity.  Habitat for Humanity is a Christian housing ministry financed through donations and utilizing volunteer labor.  Our purpose is to build homes with families and sell the houses at no profit and no interest to families who could not otherwise afford a home.

Please read the following items to see if you have an interest in our ministry AND to see if you meet our general guidelines:

1. To qualify you must have a housing need.  For example: poor heating, leaks in the roof, overcrowding (three to a bedroom), unsafe or unsanitary conditions, spending more than 40% of your monthly income for rent.  And you must be a resident of our service area.  This area includes Olmsted County plus Chatfield, Pine Island, Kasson, & Mantorville.

2. Your total family income should be in the following range indicated for your family size: 

3. With your permission, we will verify employment and other income, verify checking and savings account balances, get a statement from your current and previous landlords, have a credit check done, and ask you for credit references.
4. If you are approved for a Habitat home, we ask that you be willing to attend classes to learn and practice budgeting, home repair, and maintenance. 
5. If approved for a Habitat home, we require that each adult (up to 2) who plans to have his or her name on the mortgage and deed be responsible for 200 hours of sweat equity.  Friends and family can donate up to 75 of these hours for each of these adults.
6. If approved for a Habitat home, about $2,00 will be needed for closing costs, your initial escrow for your property taxes, and for your second year's insurance.  You will have some time to save this money before closing.
7. If you are approved for a home and you meet the sweat-equity requirements, then we will sell you a home at our cost.  Habitat house payments include your property taxes and insurance. This total monthly payment, at present, is running about  $500* per month.   However, keep in mind that a substantial portion of this cost becomes your equity.  When you sell the house, you will get that back, assuming that you keep your house clean, repaired, and desirable.  The house payments will be used by Habitat to build more houses with other families.  We require that you make these payments on time.

If you are interested in Habitat and if you believe you qualify for a home according to the above guidelines, we encourage you to fill out and return the application.  Be sure to fill out the form correctly.  If information is incorrect or missing, your application will not be considered.  Be especially careful in Section 6 & Section 7.  Make sure everything is included and in the proper column.  Please have someone help you if you are unsure of some of the questions asked.

Please return it to our office, along with your application, a signed "Consent For Credit Check" form, along with  a check or money order for  $10 for that credit check (payable to RAHH), and a copy of your latest  income tax returns.  We consider all information to be confidential and we use it only for family selection.  These applications MUST be returned by the next application deadline in order to be considered in the next selection process.

We would like to have two regular annual selection periods, but we have not been able to build predictably enough to allow that yet.  So you will have to learn when the next application period is by calling our office at 252-0849. 

Sincerely,

Family Selection Committee 

*The stated monthly cost of a home is an estimate.  The actual cost may vary.