Habitat is Set to Build in Aitkin - Spring 2013

Our Mission Statement: Seeking to put God's love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.

Our Vision:  A world where everyone has a decent place to live.

About Aitkin County Habitat for Humanity: Aitkin County Habitat for Humanity is part of a global, nonprofit housing organization operated on Christian principle that seeks to put God's love into action by building homes, communities and hope.  Aitkin County Habitat for Humanity was founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a simple, durable place to live in dignity and safety, and that decent communities should be a matter of conscience and action for all.

All are welcome:  Aitkin County Habitat for Humanity has an open-door policy.  All who believe that everyone needs a decent, affordable place to live are welcome to help with the work, regardless of race, religion, age, gender, political view or any of the other distinctions that too often divide people.  In short, Habitat welcomes regardless of race or religion.  As a matter of policy, Habitat for Humanity International and its affiliated organizations do not proselytize.  This means that Habitat will not offer assistance on the expressed or implied condition that people must either adhere to or convert to a particular faith, or listen and respond to messaging designed to induce conversion to a particular faith.

Building Homes With Partner Families
Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates alongside our homeowner (partner) families. Habitat is not a giveaway program. In addition to a down payment and monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor (sweat equity) into building their Habitat house and the houses of others. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit and financed with affordable loans. The homeowners’ monthly mortgage payments are used to build still more Habitat houses.

About Habitat for Humanity International:  Founded in Americus, Georgia, USA in 1976, Habitat for Humanity today operates around the globe and has helped build, renovate and repair more than 600,000 decent, affordable houses sheltering more than 3 million people worldwide.  Aitkin County Habitat For Humanity (HFH) is a locally run affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing organization.

A Brush With Kindness

Habitat for Humanity’s A Brush with Kindness is an exterior home preservation service that offers painting, landscaping, weather stripping and minor repair services for homeowners in need. ABWK helps low-income homeowners impacted by age, disability and family circumstances, who struggle to maintain the exterior of their homes, reclaim their homes with pride and dignity.

Homeownership Training

The primary goal of the Habitat for Humanity homeowner/homebuyer education is to provide families with the skills necessary to become successful homeowners. One of the most important responsibilities of the Family Support committee is to develop a thorough and accessible homebuyer readiness education program. Homebuyer education should be a core sweat-equity requirement of the affiliate’s agreement with the family.