Education & Service Learning

At Habitat, we believe in teaching skills that are beneficial in many areas of life, not only for homebuyer families, but also for students in our community.

“Hands on Education”

Preparing families for owning and maintaining a home
homebuyer classes.

We prepare families for the responsibilities of owning and maintaining a home before closing on their house. Homebuyer families take classes to learn about homeownership, maintenance and financial management. Some financial classes listed are taken at our community partner ICCF, a HUD approved counseling agency who provides advice on buying a home, renting, defaults, foreclosures, and credit issues. These classes include:

Construction

Home Maintenance & Sustainability

Lawn Maintenance

Crime Prevention

Healthy Homes

Introduction to Homeownership

Understanding Your Mortgage

Mastering Money

Spending Plans

Credit

Debt Reduction

Banking Basics

Consumer Protection

Long Term Planning

Green Construction

We are proud to collaborate with local high schools, colleges and organizations to provide a hands-on learning environment for students to develop green construction skills. Students work alongside Habitat building professionals, instructors and Habitat families to build a house from start to finish. Since 2004, students in Kent County have built nearly 30 homes in partnership with Habitat!

Through this service-learning experience, students prepare for careers in design, engineering and construction by learning skilled trades, establishing leadership traits and gaining pride as they invest their skills into our community.

Learning Garden

Barb Molhoek had a way of brightening the lives of those around her. Even after her passing, she continues to do so through Habitat’s Learning Garden.

In partnership with the Kent Garden Club, Habitat’s Learning Garden allows us to teach homebuyers the basics of yard maintenance. Homebuyers learn in a hands-on environment how to care for their lawn and plants. Eight raised vegetable beds show homebuyers how to garden in small spaces.

The focus of the garden is native perennials. Maturing perennials are split to provide us with a renewable source of plants for landscaping. Splittings and donated plants are placed in the holding garden until they are ready to be transplanted into homeowner yards.

Dave Ramsey‘s Financial Peace University Each of our homebuyers are required to go through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University as a part of their sweat equity.

Special Thanks to our FPU Sponsors…

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Educational & Research Partners
Bethany Christian Services
Grand Rapids YouthBuild
Ferris State University
Energy Center
Goodwill Industries
Pathways to Prosperity
Grand Rapids Community College

Tassell M-Tec
Kent Intermediate School District
Applied Construction Program
Grand Rapids Public Schoolt
Academy for Design and Construction
ICCF
Homebuyer financial education

Campus Chapters
Aquinas College
Cornerstone University
East Grand Rapids High School
Grand Valley State University

We Believe in You

ReBuild, ReNew, ReStore

Find out more

We’re Here To Help

Education & Service Learning

“Hands on Education”

Preparing families for owning and maintaining a home
homebuyer classes.

Green Construction

Learning Garden

Dave Ramsey‘s Financial Peace University Each of our homebuyers are required to go through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University as a part of their sweat equity.

Special Thanks to our FPU Sponsors…

A Home Can Change Lives

Group Interest Survey

We Believe in You

ReBuild, ReNew, ReStore

Find out more

We’re Here To Help

Education & Service Learning

“Hands on Education”

Preparing families for owning and maintaining a home homebuyer classes.

Green Construction

Learning Garden

Dave Ramsey‘s Financial Peace University Each of our homebuyers are required to go through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University as a part of their sweat equity.

Special Thanks to our FPU Sponsors…

A Home Can Change Lives

Preparing families for owning and maintaining a home
homebuyer classes.