Apply for Services - Habitat for Humanity - Battle Creek, Michigan

Apply for Services: What You Need to Get Started Today!

Understanding What We Do and Why

Habitat for Humanity was founded to help those living in substandard housing realize their dream of decent, affordable homeownership. Our services fall into four main categories:

► New home construction
► Home repair and rehab
► ReStore (retail store) operations
► Ongoing support to help new homeowners succeed

ReStore is open to everyone. Getting a new or rehabbed Habitat home requires that you attend a Homeownership Orientation meeting and complete the application process. Your application will then be evaluated by our local Selection Committee. If you have questions that are not answered on this page, please call the Habitat office at (269) 966-2502.

Note: If you are interesting in applying for repairs to your existing home, please click here now for information.

Qualifying Criteria for Building a New Habitat Home

If you're interested in partnering with Habitat to build a new home or rehab an existing home (in which you will live), this is the right place to begin! To qualify, you must meet the following criteria (as judged by our Selection Committee). You must:

► Currently live in Calhoun County, Michigan, in substandard housing.

► Show an ability to pay for either the new home mortgage or existing home renovation loan (interest-free loan with lower-than-normal payments).

► Have a household income that is 30% - 50% of the area's median income (see next bullet point).

► Median household income in Calhoun County is about $41,600 per year; qualifying household income would range from about $12,500 to about $20,800 per year.

► Be willing to invest at least 500 hours of sweat equity (family labor) into the project.

The Habitat new home program is a hand up, not a hand out. We partner with a family, working with them to build their home, making sure they can afford the payments, educating them on how to budget their money and sharing in their joy as their new house is completed.

Together, we have built or rehabilitated 125 homes in Calhoun County since our founding in 1989. Our goal is to build or rehabilitate 150 more homes in the next ten years.

In order to start the process of qualifying for this program, you'll need to attend our next Homeownership Orientation meeting, which will be held at our office located at 551 W. Michigan Ave. in Battle Creek. (See map)

To find out the exact time for the next Homeownership Orientation Meeting, please call the Habitat office today at (269) 966-2502. We look forward to speaking with you!

The 7 Steps in the Application Process:

Applying for a new Habitat home usually involves the following 7 Steps, though this may vary in some circumstances:

1. Contact our office, either in person or by calling (269) 966-2502.

2. Gather the necessary documentation.
3. Attend a mandatory Homeownership Orientation meeting.

4. Complete the application form, which includes a mandatory $15 fee to pay for a credit check.

5. Wait as our local Selection Committee reviews your credit, visits your family to determine need and makes selections pending Board approval

6. If accepted, your family must signs a letter of intent.

7. As a family, invest at least 500 hours of "sweat equity" with Habitat.

After the first 100 hours of sweat equity is completed, your family makes a home selection, closes on home and takes on a mortgage.

Important Note: All financial figures, application steps and qualifying criteria are subject to change. To learn more, please call the Habitat office at (269) 966-2502 today. Welcome!

Apply for Services: What You Need to Get Started Today!

Explore Our Site:

Free newsletter: