Application Meetings
Family Selection meetings are held to educate  and inform potential Habitat homeowners of our program and its requirements.  All interested families should attend these meetings to start the Habitat application process. Below is the criteria used to select our Habitat families. Habitat for Humanity serves those who make 30-50% of the area median income.

Family Selection Criteria
In selecting Habitat Homeowners, Habitat for Humanity of La Plata County considers the following three criteria:

1. Need for adequate shelter
   
2. Ability to pay for the Habitat home
   
3. Willingness to partner

In the Habitat Family Selection process, we strive to avoid reinforcing the cycle of poverty. Habitat makes a faith commitment to the selected families to be a friend, and a partner through the good times and the bad.

Need for Adequate Shelter
The first consideration for selecting a partner family is the lack of adequate shelter. We look for families who are living in shelters that are too crowded, structurally deteriorated, have inadequate plumbing or wiring, etc. We also recognize that the need may also consist of factors beyond obvious structural inadequacies such as the family being cost burdened (more than 30% of their income is spent on housing). The way we determine the condition of their shelter is to visit the current home of the prospective homeowner.

Ability to Pay
Since the homeowner buys the house from Habitat, they must be able to afford the monthly payments. Habitat looks for families who are unable to meet the income requirements for any conventional loan program, but who can afford a Habitat home. The income requirements for single and multi-person households are as follows:

Year 2008 Guidelines

Family Size	30% Median	50% Median
One	$13,100	$21,850
Two	$14,950	$24,950
Three	$16,850	$28,100
Four	$18,700	$31,200
Five	$20,200	$33,700
Six	$21,700	$36,200
Seven	$23,200	$38,700
Eight	$24,700	$41,200

A home is deemed affordable when no more than 30 percent of a family's stable gross monthly income is spent on housing, as recommended by HUD. To determine if a family would be able to pay, Habitat studies the sources of income of the family, as well as, runs a credit report on each family to determine the amount, if any, of accumulated debt.  

Willingness to Partner
Each Habitat applicant must be willing to participate as a partner with Habitat. This is done by:

• The completion and return of the application for housing in a timely
  fashion.
  
• Satisfying the down payment and closing cost requirements.
  
• Acceptance and completion of sweat equity requirements (350 hours for a single parent, 500 hours for a couple).
  
• Making timely house payments and maintaining the home.

enthusiastic support of the goals and mission of Habitat for Humanity of La Plata County.
If you would like to learn more about homeownership, call us (970) 382-2215 or complete the online interest form and we will contact you before we have our next meeting.