Habifacts

• HFHKC is Michigan's top producing affiliate in Michigan.  Honored "Affiliate of the Year" in 2007.

• Habitat homes are not "given away", they are purchased by homeowners through 25 year, zero-interest mortgages.   

• HFHKC has built nearly 300 homes since its founding in 1983 with only 3 foreclosures.   

• HFHKC received the "Corrie Bair Inclusive Communities Award for Housing" from the State of Michigan Disability Council for building homes with zero step entry.

• HFHKC is the only homebuilding non-profit in Kent and Eastern Ottawa Counties serving families who earn 30%-60% of the area median income, approximately $19,680-$37,260 per year, based on income guidelines for a family of four.

• HFHKC has earned a 4-Star rating on www.CharityNavigator.org, (an independent non-profit rating service) for three years in a row.

GREEN Habifacts

• HFHKC is leading the way in sustainable-design, or "green" homes.  We built the first "LEED Certified Affordable Home" in the nation, notably awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.

• In 2007, HFHKC made the commitment to build all homes in the future to LEED certifications.

• A few thousand dollars invested in "green" building can help Habitat families save an estimated $1,000 per year in electric, water, heating and cooling costs.

• For families who live close to the poverty line the savings each month help to ease the hard decision, "food or heat?"

• HFHKC's Education Partnership Program uses the construction of a Habitat home as a green building learning laboratory for the Grand Rapids Public School's Academy of Design & Construction and Grand Rapids Community College's Tassell M-Tec program.

• Our ReStores are another example of HFHKC's long held environmental policy - that whatever is still functional, can and should be saved for re-use.  Building materials donated to Habitat are available for purchase at the ReStore at vastly discounted prices.

• In 2007 Habitat for Humanity of Kent County was designated as an "Approved environmental group" by www.OnePercentforthePlanet.org.