There are three main criteria to apply for a Habitat Home: ability to pay, need for housing, and willingness to partner with Habitat. To qualify you must have lived or worked in Whitman or Latah County for at least the last year; be living in inadequate housing (some examples: high rent, overcrowding, structural issues, high power bills); and be willing to fulfill partnership obligations, including working 300-400 hours of sweat equity helping to build your home.
Your income must fall within 30-60% of Area Median Income for Latah & Whitman Counties according to the Housing and Urban Development Administration (HUD). The specific amounts change each year and vary depending on family size. For example, in 2020, for a family of four, the income range was $20,850-$41,700.
Contact the Habitat office or attend one of our informational meetings to find out the income range. As part of the application process, a selection committee member will review your credit history, conduct interviews and do a site visit of your current home.
Sweat Equity – All Habitat homeowners are required to spend 300-400 hours helping build their home. The majority of those hours must be put in on the build site, but Habitat homeowners are also encouraged to volunteer at the store, or elsewhere within Habitat or the community. The volunteering can be done by those living in the home, as long as they are over age 16; a portion can be donated by friends, family, co-workers etc. In cases of disability, Habitat will work with the homeowner to design volunteer opportunities tailored to their abilities.
