Our Mission
Habitat’s mission is to eliminate poverty housing. Partnering with caring individuals and organizations, Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County (HFHMC) constructs simple, decent, affordable homes and empowers hardworking, low-income families to become homeowners by providing no-interest mortgages with which to buy them.

History
Serving Montgomery County since 1989, Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County (HFHMC), an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, is an independent, locally run, nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization. Habitat helps low- and moderate-income families become homeowners by building and partnering in the creation of affordable housing while also providing affordable, not-for-profit mortgages with which the homeowners purchase their homes. Additionally HFHMC builds local and regional partnerships that promote community involvement, neighborhood revitalization and stability, and individual responsibility.
Since 1989, HFHMC has constructed over 50 homes in Montgomery County, providing housing for 188 residents, 127 of whom are children. These homes are located in three communities across the county:  Norristown, Pottstown and Upper Dublin, and we are currently expanding to the Hatfield/Lansdale area.

The Challenge
HFHMC focuses on providing solutions to the growing affordable-housing crisis in our region. With the average price of a single-family home in Montgomery County having increased over 4% from 2009-2010 (almost six times the national average), many of our working families and seniors, whose incomes have remained fixed or declined recently, cannot afford to live here. Women and children are particularly disadvantaged; one-in-three families headed by women live in poverty and cannot afford a simple, safe, decent home in Montgomery County.

• Even with the market slow-down, homeownership is still far out of reach for Habitat families. The median price of a Montgomery County, existing, single-family home at the end of 2009 was $296,600.

• Habitat families cannot qualify for a mortgage that requires a 10-20% down payment, a 5+% interest rate and a monthly payment of more than $1,800. They would have to earn close to $80,000 a year in order to purchase such a home in our area. The majority of Habitat families earn less than $35,000.

Our Solution

• We coordinate all aspects of Habitat homebuilding in our local area:  fundraising, site selection, partner-family selection and support, home construction, and mortgage servicing.

• We build entire communities in addition to traditional in-fill revitalization building. This is accomplished by constructing new housing and renovating existing homes, mainly on parcels of land that have been donated or acquired through government-grant funding programs.

• We partner with corporations, individuals, foundations, faith, and civic groups to provide the sponsor funding to cover the cost of construction labor and materials necessary to build or renovate each home.

• We unite people of goodwill across race, ethnic, religious, socio-economic, and geographic boundaries to build each home through their volunteer efforts.

• We provide a “hand up” to our family partners as they work 200 - 400 hours of labor on the construction of their home and others’ homes. This is called “sweat equity.” All homeowners must complete their sweat equity prior to moving into their homes.

• We serve families earning between 30-60% of the area median income by providing 0% interest mortgages. The average, monthly, mortgage payment, including tax and insurance escrows, is $700.

• We ensure that families are accepted into the Habitat program based on their need, income and willingness to partner. Applicants go through a rigorous application process, as there are many more applicants than available homes.

• We rejoice as our Habitat homeowners’ futures brighten due to a stable, healthy environment that provides space to live, grow and dream.

• We highlight the issue of affordable housing in our county, insisting that no one in our area should go to sleep at night without a decent roof over his or her head.