Habitat is not a give-away program. Habitat houses are affordable for low-income families because there is no profit included in the sale price and no interest charged on the mortgage. Mortgage length varies from 7 to 30 years. Families in need of decent shelter apply to local Habitat affiliates. The affiliate's family selection committee chooses homeowners based on their level of need, their willingness to become partners in the program and their ability to repay the no-interest loan.
Every affiliate follows a nondiscriminatory policy of family selection.
Neither race nor religion is a factor in choosing the families who receive Habitat houses. There are nearly 1,900 active affiliates located in all 50 states of the United States, the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico, and in 63 other countries around the world. Habitat is a grass-roots movement. Concerned citizens from all walks of life come together as volunteers to form an HFHI affiliate in their community. Fund raising, house construction, family selection and other key decisions are carried out by the local affiliates.