Apply for a Home

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Would you like to become a Habitat partner family?
Individuals & families wanting to apply for a Habitat home with West St. Tammany Habitat for Humanity must live or work west of Lacombe in St. Tammany Parish and meet the following selection criteria:

Need for Shelter
Need for shelter can come in a lot of different ways. Some examples include:

Sub-standard living conditions
Overcrowding
Rent burden
Living in temporary shelter

Ability to Pay
At Habitat, we do not give houses away - we sell them for a no-profit, no-interest mortgage. This means that including insurance and property taxes, our mortgage payment is about $300-$400 a month for 20, 25, or 30 years. In order to successfully make this payment, families must have somewhat clear credit (no judgments or tax liens and limited debt) and earn an income that falls within our income guidelines based on family size:

Year 2010 Guidelines
Family Size	30% of Median	60% of Median
One	$12,700	$25,400
Two	$14,500	$29,000
Three	$16,300	$32,600
Four	$18,100	$36,200
Five	$19,550	$39,100
Six	$21,00	$42,000
Seven	$22,450	$44,900
Eight	$23,900	$47,800

Willingness to Partner
Families must complete 300 or 400 hours of sweat equity before they can purchase a habitat house (300 for single-adult families and 400 for two-adult families).  Included in these hours are financial literacy, construction and homebuyer education classes.  Further a family must be honest and cooperative throughout the partnership process in order to qualify for a house.

How to Apply
If you would like to apply with Habitat, please contact our Home Buyer department at (985) 893-3172 ext 225 or 226 to begin the prequalification process.

Where are Habitat houses built?
Habitat STW is currently building houses primarily in Abita Springs and Covington and occasionally in Mandeville.  We are always searching for new land and our building locations can change according to what land becomes available. Our service area includes Abita Springs, Covington, Folsom, Madisonville and Mandeville.

Can you build on my land?
Whether or not we can build on a particular plot of land is determined on a case-by-case basis.  If you are accepted into Habitat's program, we will look into your particular lot to see if it is possible for us to build on it.  Some common considerations in this decision are the state of the land, its location, its size and our construction schedule.

What do the houses look like?
The motto of Habitat for Humanity is to build Simple, Decent, Affordable housing.  Our houses are not extravagant – instead they are meant to provide a safe and decent home for a family that would not otherwise be able to afford one.  Habitat STW houses are 1100-1250 sq ft, and have 3 or 4 bedrooms and 1.5 – 2 bathrooms.  The size of the house is determined based on family size.  They come with central air, a refrigerator and a stove.  Families choose the color of the siding, shutters, floors, cabinets, & countertops. See our photo gallery  for examples.

How much does it cost? Habitat houses are sold for a no-profit, no-interest 20-yr mortgage.   That means you only pay for the cost of building the house, no profit to us. Monthly payments on that mortgage usually range from $300-$400 a month including prpoerty taxes and insurance.

If I get a Habitat house, Habitat still owns it, right?
NO.  For most purposes, Habitat houses function just like any other house.  Once you sign the mortgage, if you keep making your mortgage payments, the house is yours.  If you pass on, you can will it to your children or members of your family just like any other house. If you choose to sell the house, Habitat STW has the first right of refusal (the option to buy it back before you sell it to anyone else).