What is a Partner Family?

“Partner family” is the term Habitat uses for the family they are building a home for.  Partner is an essential word in Habitat language.  It means we are in this together, and together we will build you a home and give you a hand up.  Habitat is not a “give away program”.  A partner family earns their home, and pays for it.   Partner families may have had a hard time in their lives; they may have had set backs and problems that have kept them from moving into adequate housing.  Habitat exists to help those families that have “fallen between the cracks”---you may have the energy and determination to move up into better housing, but not quite enough income to qualify for a mortgage through a regular bank.

To become a partner family, the potential partner family must complete an application for review by the Family Selection Committee.   Included on the application form are family history information, landlord/renting information, employment and public assistance information.  The Family Selection Committee evaluates the need for housing, makes credit checks and conducts in-home interviews to best understand the housing situation.   Qualifications for becoming a partner family include:

-     Have been a resident of Hendricks County for at least one year
 

-     Have a need for adequate shelter as determined by Habitat (this means your current shelter has structural problems, is too small, is unsafe, etc).
 

-    Have the ability to pay for a Habitat home.  (Generally,  family’s income needs to be between $13,000 and $27,000 a year.  This is adjusted for the size of your family).
 

-    Willingness to partner with Habitat.   (family agrees to perform 300 hours of work called “sweat equity” by attending workshops on home ownership,  working on the construction of their home and other homes and working with a volunteer to help them through the Habitat process).

Habitat for Humanity invites potential families to come see if they qualify.   Public meeting were held  on Saturday, May 6, 2006 from 10:00am to 11:30 am and  on Saturday July 13, 2005 at 6:30pm to 7:45pm at the Avon-Washington Township Public Library, 498 North SR 267, Avon, IN.  

Watch for scheduled times and dates in 2007