Habitat For Humanity Informational Meetings Scheduled for April

By: Ben Haut, WKVI

Published: March 18th, 2014

“Could you become a homeowner?” That’s the question asked during the upcoming informational meetings for the Starke/Pulaski Habitat For Humanity aimed at providing much-needed information to prospective Habitat for Humanity homeowners. Steve Morrison, president of the organization, told WKVI that these meetings will allow them to explain the process and take applications as they seek to build a house this summer somewhere in Starke or Pulaski County.

Morrison said the process is simple; if you’re in need of housing, fill out a preliminary application. Depending on your situation, you may or may not qualify.

“Basically, we start out and we take applications and people who are in need of decent housing and so forth, or maybe they’re renting or whatever, and then we have a small brochure-type application whereby we ask them various questions, and it shows the income limits – lower and upper income limits – that people would qualify through. They have to be employed for 12 months, no bankruptcies for two years, and just some basic questions. If they all qualify for those few basic questions, then we’ll actually make a full application for possibly a home,” Morrison explained.

The first application is made up of some core questions, Morrison said, and the applicant may then be able to fill out a full application similar to a mortgage loan. There are a number of qualifying factors to take into account.

“First of all, do you live in Starke or Pulaski County? Have you been employed by the same employer for at least 12 months? Have you established good credit over the past 24 months? And then we have a series of household income, minimum and maximum levels to which they can apply, have they ever filed bankruptcy, and are you presently living in substandard housing, and are you willing to work 250 sweat equity hours per adult to build the house?” Morrison said.

To learn more about Habitat For Humanity and the process involved in applying for a Habitat home, stop in during one of the informational meetings. The first is scheduled for Saturday April 5 at the Monterey Tippecanoe Township Library at 10 a.m. EDT and the Pulaski County Public Library in Winamac at 1 p.m. EDT. On Saturday, April 12, a meeting is scheduled at the Francesville-Salem Township Public Library at 10 a.m. EDT and at the Pulaski County Public Library in Medaryville at 1 p.m. EDT. On Saturday, April 19, meetings are scheduled at the Starke County Library in San Pierre at 9 a.m. CDT, the North Judson-Wayne Township Library at 12 p.m. CDT, and the Henry F. Schricker Public Library in Knox at 3 p.m. CDT.

For more information, visit www.sphabitat.org or call 574-896-2811.