Whom Do We Help?
Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, which is a non-profit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. We seek to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. We work toward this goal in two ways:
- Building affordable homes for families that otherwise could not afford to purchase a house
- Providing assistance in critical repairs or modifications that the homeowner cannot afford.
Building Affordable Homes
Our primary mission is to build homes that are affordable to families that could not qualify for a conventional mortgage. The houses are sold to selected families via a no interest, 20-30 year mortgage. Families are selected based on three criteria:
- Ability to pay for a Habitat house.
To qualify to be a Habitat homeowner, the family’s income must be adequate to make monthly mortgage payments that include repaying a no interest mortgage, plus the property taxes, plus homeowner’s insurance. This monthly payment should not exceed 30% of the family’s monthly income. The family must be able to pay 1% of the mortgage as a down payment. The family must be credit worthy and must not have excessive debt. The target income level for a family is 25% to 50% of the median family income for the Greater Nashua area.1 Person: $14,650 – $29,300 yearly income
2 Persons: $16,750 – $33,500
3 Persons: $18,825 – $37,650
4 Persons: $20,925 – $41,850
5 Persons: $22,600 – $45,200
6 Persons: $24,375 – $48,500
7 Persons: $25,950 – $51,900
8 Persons: $27,625 – $55,250
(2005 HUD Data)A typical Habitat house in the Greater Nashua area currently is sold in the range of $90,000 to $100,000.
- Actual need for decent housing.
To be selected for a Habitat house, the family must have a critical need for improved housing. Factors that are considered are inadequate current housing, temporary housing, sub-standard housing conditions, rent that exceeds 50% of total monthly income, inadequate number of bedrooms for the members of the family, and unsuitable neighborhood. - Willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity.
A selected family must be willing to partner with Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity by providing a minimum of 350 hours of sweat equity (read our sweat equity policy) prior to closing on the house. The family must also fully cooperate with the Family Selection committee during its investigations and interviews. The family must also agree to make monthly mortgage payments on time and to participate in the Partnership Program.
Providing assistance with critical repairs
Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity does some critical repairs for needy homeowners during periods when we are not fully active building a house. The repairs must be needed for health or safety reasons. A typical example is building a ramp or widening a doorway for a family when some member has to start using a wheelchair. This service is provided only when the family owns the house – not on rental property.
To qualify for this service, the family must be unable to afford to have modifications made by a professional repair person. Typically, the family provides all materials, and Habitat for Humanity is only asked to provide the labor. In some cases, a loan to cover the materials may be made in an amount not to exceed $2,000. In either case, the family must go through an application and review process. If you wish to pursue this type of assistance, please contact us by email or phone, and somebody will contact you.
Important Note: Since we are an all-volunteer organization, and do most work only on Saturdays, we do not take on emergency repairs. We cannot guarantee completion of the review process or the work (if approved) within a short period of time. If you need emergency repairs, please check with other agencies.
If you have further questions about who we help and how, please send us a note.
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