Habitat for Humanity raises eligibility income limits

MAT-SU — More Mat-Su Valley families in need are now eligible to receive assistance from Habitat for Humanity, thanks to recent changes.

According to Habitat for Humanity Mat-Su board member Jim McCall, the organization has adjusted its 2014 income guidelines up 10 percent from the previous limit to accommodate families at 60 percent of the Area Median Income — determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“Our mission is to build simple, safe, decent, and affordable housing in partnership with people in need,” McCall wrote in an email.

Income limits are subject to change every year, McCall said, but for now, the guidelines are as follows: one person, $33,000; two-member families, $37,680; three-member families $42,420; four-member families, $47,100; five-member families, 50,880; six-member families, $54,660; seven-member families, $58,440; eight-or-more-member families, $62,220.

Those numbers are somewhat flexible, McCall said, but they don’t want to compete with other programs, such as those provided by USDA Rural Development, which serve families that fall at or above 80 percent AMI.

“In any event, if a family is slightly over the numbers provided (above), they should still consider applying as we will look at each situation, case by case,” McCall wrote.

Credit checks also are required and analyzed carefully, he said, to ensure the family is ready to work with Habitat volunteers.

If selected, families must contribute a minimum 500 hours of “sweat equity” to the construction of their new home, McCall said. Families must also attend a homebuyer’s education class detailing the various responsibilities of home ownership. Monthly mortgage payments are interest-free, he said, and used to assist other families who qualify and seek housing help from Habitat for Humanity.

As a “non-profit, ecumenical Christian organization dedicated to eliminating poverty housing in our community,” McCall wrote, Habitat for Humanity Mat-Su emphasizes that “the homes are a hand up, not a handout.”

The organization has built 16 homes for families in the Mat-Su Valley since opening in 1997. Its last project, finished in 2013, was built for Heather Welcome and her two daughters, but was dedicated to longtime board members Jim Oliver and Curtis Menard, who passed away.

Habitat for Humanity Mat-Su has received a significant amount of funding over the years through Pick. Click. Give., he said, the sum of which is used for construction supplies and expenses. His fellow volunteer board members — president Bob Pickett, Uli Johnson, Israel Nelson, Laurie Kari, Rachel Greenberg, Tim Ensminger, Paddy Coan, Karen Foster and Ruth Reisterer — also play huge parts in the success of the program.

To apply, visit the local Habitat office in the Double Eagle Real Estate building at the intersection of Hyer Road and Palmer-Wasilla Highway. For more information, call 373-7278.

Contact Caitlin Skvorc at 352-2266 or caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.