Long-Term Partnership.

We begin by partnering with low-income families who work hard to develop the skills needed to be successful homeowners. If a family applies for a home and is declined, we help them develop a plan to overcome their obstacles and earn approval on a future application.

Before buying their home with an interest-free mortgage, homebuyer families contribute 300-500 sweat equity hours by assisting with construction and learning home maintenance and financial management skills.

When a family moves into their home, we don’t walk away. We encourage long-term relationships with homebuyers, walking alongside them all the way through their last mortgage payment. This is essential as we empower homebuyers to create a better life for themselves and their families.

This is what unites us.”

Impacting families, neighbors and communities
neighborhood revitalization.

Family Impact

Before settling into their home, a typical Habitat family moves every 1-2 years. Moving is hard. Kids have to adjust to a new school and make new friends. Parents wonder how long they can stay before the apartment affects their health or the landlord raises rent. Worries like this make it difficult to think about anything else.

A safe and affordable home puts an end to these worries. A stable home allows its residents to focus on the future. Health and family relationships improve. Employment stabilizes. Families save money, invest in their neighborhood, strengthen local schools and broaden the city’s tax base.

Neighborhood Impact

We’re working on multiple homes on the same street to create a more significant neighborhood impact. When neighbors see new homes constructed or older homes renovated, they’re reinvigorated by the neighborhood’s new life. This becomes evident when we see a neighbor repairing his front door, which leads to his neighbor painting his house and another neighbor landscaping her yard. The entire neighborhood prospers.

Community Impact

The benefits of neighborhood revitalization spread throughout our community. By bringing homeowners into a neighborhood, vacant housing decreases and property values increase.

As a result, the city receives more taxes that will help improve local schools and transit. This is the beginning of neighbors working together to create a better community for themselves and future generations.

Habitat works with many organizations to plan, advocate and share resources for the purpose of creating and protecting healthy and interactive neighborhoods. We’ve been working with the City of Grand Rapids to identify areas where Habitat’s revitalization efforts are needed most. That’s why we’ve begun targeting neighborhoods on the West Side of Grand Rapids.ksA campaign to restore West Michigan neighborhoods

Our Sustainable Model…

68%

of families report an increase in their income

What we do today impacts our future. As stewards of God’s earth, we are committed to making a social, economic and environmental difference in everything we do.

35%

of Grand Rapids children live in poverty; of those, 79% live in substandard housing

25%

of families report better grades in school for their children

58%

of four-person families making $31,250 or less cannot find affordable housing

Affordable Mortgages

Acting as the mortgage holder, Habitat provides up to a 30-year zero-interest loan. This allows homebuyers to have affordable house payments while providing Habitat with a steady source of funds to continue building homes for qualified home buyer families.

Green Construction

Not only are we passionate about building affordable homes, we believe in keeping them affordable for families once they move in. By being wise about green building, we include only what will be most beneficial to families. This creates a healthful environment and drastically reduces energy and water use, saving Habitat homeowners thousands of dollars. For a family of four living on $30,000 a year, reducing their utility bills by $100 a month goes a long way in helping them be successful in their home.

Social Impact

When a family’s health improves, it reduces sick days so parents perform better at work and children learn more at school. When children don’t have to enroll in a new school year after year, their grades and social skills improve. As homeowners, parents set an example of personal responsibility when they shift from dependence on landlords and take pride in caring for their own property. In many ways, owning a home helps a family establish economic stability. Families can rely on a steady mortgage payment as opposed to rising rent costs. The home quickly becomes a financial asset as it begins earning equity. It also allows homeowners to support to the local economy as active taxpayers.

ReStore Retail

Habitat for Humanity ReStores sell new and gently-used building materials and home improvement products. The proceeds from our two Kent County locations go to our affiliate to support local Habitat families. Since opening in 2004, nearly 4,000 tons of material has avoided the landfill by being donated to our Kent County ReStores.

Business Model

Before we celebrate the groundbreaking of a home, Habitat has the funding in place and has identified a home to live in it. Through grants, donations, homeowner mortgage payments and ReStore funds, we are able to maintain financial sustainability. This prevents Habitat from borrowing money for building and ensures each home has a family to live in it when construction is complete.

We Believe in You

ReBuild, ReNew, ReStore

Find out more

We’re Here To Help

Long-Term Partnership.

This is what unites us.”

Impacting families, neighbors and communities
neighborhood revitalization.

Family Impact

Neighborhood Impact

Community Impact

Our Sustainable Model…

A Home Can Change Lives

Veteran Homeownership Application Request

Home Repair Wait List

Group Interest Survey

We Believe in You

ReBuild, ReNew, ReStore

Find out more

We’re Here To Help

Long-Term Partnership.

This is what unites us.”

Impacting families, neighbors and communitiesneighborhood revitalization.

Family Impact

Neighborhood Impact

Community Impact

Our Sustainable Model…

A Home Can Change Lives

Impacting families, neighbors and communities
neighborhood revitalization.