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HABITAT IS THERE FOR YOU

Habitat for Humanity Sarnia/Lambton has a Family Partnering Committee. This Committee exists for the sole purpose of offering information, education, support and guidance to our partner families.

Once you are selected as a partner family, you will be assigned a Family Partnering coach. This individual will work with you in the months leading up to the start of your home build, will guide you through the homeownership process and will stay in touch close touch with you for the first year or more after you take possession of your home.

Thereafter, your Family Partnering coach will meet with you once each year to ensure we have updated financial information (as per Canada Revenue Agency requirements).

Partner Family’s Responsibilities

Habitat for Humanity does not require our homeowners to provide a down payment for their Habitat home. But there are responsibilities that our partner families must assume. One of the most important is your “sweat equity” hours.

Sweat Equity

Each partner family is expected to contribute 500 hours of what we call sweat equity. These are 500 hours of volunteer service with Habitat locally and within your community.

Our Partner families must have completed their sweat equity hours before their home is transferred to them.

Our Partner families must have completed at least 80% of their sweat equity hours prior to the start of building their home.

Habitat for Humanity Sarnia/Lambton operates a social enterprise called the ReStore. This store sells gently used building materials, furniture, appliances and the like to the general public. The net profits of the ReStore fund the operations of our affiliate. The ReStore is critical to our success in Sarnia/Lambton. For this reason, Habitat for Humanity Sarnia/Lambton requires each partner family to ensure that a minimum of one person volunteers at least forty (40) hours at our ReStore.

Beyond working in the ReStore, helping other partner families to build their homes, and helping to build their own home, there are many, many opportunities for our partner families to earn their sweat equity hours.  Upon selection as a partner family, this information will be shared and our Habitat Sarnia/Lambton Family Partnering team will offer support if and as required.

Homeowner Education Program

Habitat Sarnia/Lambton offers a comprehensive homeowner education program to all of our partner families.  This program includes six (6) modules, each two (2) hours in length.  These are typically delivered to families over a 12-14 month period prior to the completion of their home.  A member of each partner family must participate in every one of the modules.

What Habitat Expects From Partner Families

Habitat for Humanity homeowners are expected to be strong community members and representative of the volunteers and donors who helped build your home. Homeowners are expected to maintain their homes with pride and to treat their neighbours with the respect and dignity they would want for themselves.

What Our Partners Can Expect From Habitat For Humanity

  • To be fair, equitable and transparent in the selection of our partner families
  • To provide financial literacy and home ownership information to our partner families in order to educate them, prepare them for home ownership and to maximize their success as homeowner
  • To provide support throughout the pre-build, build and post-build process to you and your family
  • To provide a 0% interest mortgage for your home
  • To never ask for more than 30% of your month gross family income in payments
  • To meet with your family at least once each year to update your financial records (and more frequently if/as required)

 

**Transfer of Title to the home will not be completed until 500 hours of sweat equity is completed and the family has attended all six (6) modules of the Homeowner Education Program.**

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