Faces and Places

Habitat for Humanity -- Building Homes in Partnership with Families in Need

Families should not have to live in poverty housing. Habitat for Humanity provides a "hand up" for families needing simple, decent and safe homes. 60 Douglas County families have found home ownership through Lawrence Habitat for Humanity. It works!

How does Habitat work?

Habitat for Humanity is in the business of building homes in partnership with families in need. It is a partnership that brings these families together with people committed to making poverty housing unnecessary. We build together, and then the family buys the home.

In partnership with volunteers and with Habitat for Humanity, families build their own simple, decent homes. A typical family is required to put 450 hours of work, mostly on their home but also on other Habitat homes. We call that "sweat equity," an investment that they earn through a lot of hard work.

Each homeowner family then buys the home. It becomes affordable, because it is sold for the cost of materials, with the benefit of volunteer labor, on a mortgage with no interest. The money goes back into a revolving fund for future homeowners -- the "Fund for Humanity."

"Simple, Decent" is a Habitat watch-phrase. Habitat, with volunteers and homeowners, builds solid, well-constructed but simple homes, typically just under 1100 square feet for a three-bedroom home.

How does a family qualify?

Families in need qualify by showing a willingness and ability to be a partner. Although their income would not allow them to obtain a conventional mortgage, they have shown themselves to be responsible for the task of construction and the continuing responsibility of home ownership. Further details are found in a page of Information for Prospective Homeowners .

Where does the money come from?

Lawrence Habitat for Humanity is truly a community organization. Hundreds of individuals, many businesses, and a cross-section of churches are among the primary supporters of Habitat for Humanity. Although Habitat does not accept government funds for construction, grants and partnerships with the City of Lawrence and with Housing and Urban Development help underwrite building site acquisition.

Simple, decent housing, built with families in need is in everyone's interest, and in Douglas County, a wide range of people are partners in this mission.