Own a Home

Thank you for your interest in becoming a Habitat Partner and a Habitat Homeowner.

Please read this letter carefully and see of you meet the requirements for partnership with the Ulster County Affiliate of Habitat for Humanity.  To be selected for home ownership you need to meet all of the following criteria:

1)       You need a steady income which is necessary to meet your mortgage payments as well as provide for utilities (heat, electric, water, refuse, etc.), home owners insurance, taxes and necessary maintenance.  In UlsterCounty the minimum figure for a family of four is about $37,000 and the maximum amount you can earn is about $51,700.  There are adjustments for smaller and larger families.

2)       You need to have a good credit rating.  You cannot have any outstanding judgments or liens against you and you cannot have declared bankruptcy in the past seven years.  We estimate housing costs to be about $900-$1,000 per month.  Your long term debt ratio cannot exceed 40% of your income.  In addition to your housing costs, long term debt includes your auto payments, credit cards, child support, and alimony.  If you owe a lot of money and have difficulty meeting monthly payments and so not seem to be able to reduce your long term debt, you are not a good candidate for home ownership.  You might want to seek a credit counseling agency to help you get your credit in order.

3)       You need to currently live in substandard housing.  This could mean overcrowding or unsafe conditions, inadequate heat or sanitary conditions, or severe structural problems.  It could also mean being severely cost- burdened.   In other words, if all your income goes to keeping a roof over your head and thus deprives your family of adequate nutrition, clothing and education, you might qualify even if your current housing is considered to be adequate.

4)       You and your family and friends are willing to invest at least 250 hours of “sweat equity” in Habitat projects.  This can take on many forms including actual construction work as well as fund raising, clerical and other volunteer activities.

5)       You have to have been a resident of or be employed in Ulster County for at least 1 year.

 

If you think that you can be a candidate for Habitat Partnership, and would like to receive an application, please email the following information:

 

Name, Address, and Phone Number to:

office@ulsterhabitat.org

 

Thank you for your interest,
Cathy Whittaker and Ray Parker
Family Selection and Support Committee