About Us

Mission
Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with God and people everywhere, from all walks of life, to develop communities with God’s people in need by building and renovating houses, so that there are decent houses in decent communities in which God’s people can live and grow into all that God intended.

Community Impact: By partnering effectively with numerous community groups, Habitat for Humanity meets families' needs for a safe, affordable place to live.  Our program strengthens the community in the following four ways:

1. Broadening Homeownership Opportunities: Habitat for Humanity creates lasting, affordable homeownership by partnering with families who have a demonstrated need for stable, affordable housing but do not qualify for a traditional mortgage.  Each family contributes 500 hours of “sweat equity” (or volunteer time) towards the completion of other people’s homes and their own.  Habitat then sells the home to the family using a zero-interest loan.  To date, Habitat for Humanity of the Mid-Willamette Valley has housed 55 families, including 92 adults and nearly 200 children.  With your help, seven more families will have the opportunity to realize their dreams of homeownership in 2007.
   
2. Developing Community Partnerships: We enable volunteers and community organizations to apply their skills and use their resources to make a tangible, lasting difference in our community.  Many volunteers participate through Habitat for Humanity's partnerships with faith communities, businesses, and service clubs.  Over the past year, over 130 community groups have supported our mission through funding and volunteer participation, and 1,300 volunteers contributed their time and expertise towards Habitat for Humanity’s mission in the Mid-Willamette Valley.
   
3. Facilitating Civic Improvement: The homes we build are tax-bearing properties.  Habitat for Humanity homeowners, whose modest incomes previously left them vulnerable to frequent moves, have the opportunity to grow roots and focus on other areas of their lives such as education, professional development, and volunteerism.
   
4. Providing a Tangible Christian Witness: Habitat for Humanity "puts faith into action," by working face-to-face in 100 countries around the world.  In a world riddled with violence, Habitat for Humanity volunteers give their time and resources towards building homes and hope worldwide.  Habitat for Humanity of the Mid-Willamette Valley tithes all undesignated funds to assist with international house-building.

History
Founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller, Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry dedicated to eliminating substandard housing and homelessness worldwide and to making adequate, affordable shelter a matter of conscience and action. Habitat invites people from all faiths and walks of life to work together in partnership, building houses with families in need.

How We Do it
Through volunteer labor and tax-deductible donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner (partner) families. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest loans. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments are recycled into a revolving Fund for Humanity that is used to build more houses.

Family Selection
Whether in the U.S. or overseas, families in need apply to local Habitat affiliates. The affiliate's family selection committee considers applicants' level of need, their willingness to become partners in the Habitat 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 Habitat homeowner families.

If your family, or a family you know, is in need of decent, affordable housing, please check our Apply for a Home page where you will find information on the availability, size, costs, and sweat equity requirements for Habitat houses in our area, as well as information on the application process.

Habitat and its Affiliates
Habitat is a worldwide, grass-roots movement. There are more than 2,100 active affiliates in 100 countries, including all 50 states of the United States, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico. Use the Habitat for Humanity International affiliate search to find Habitat affiliates in other areas.

Habitat is a grass-roots movement. Concerned citizens from all walks of life come together as volunteers to form a Habitat affiliate in their community. Fundraising, house construction, family selection and other key decisions are carried out by the local affiliates. HFHI headquarters, located in Americus, Ga., provides information, training, support and other services to Habitat affiliates worldwide.

Donations
Donations are used as designated by the donor. Gifts received by us that are designated to a specific building project are forwarded to that project. Any undesignated gifts are used where most needed. Our most recent audited financial statement is available upon request.

Management
Our board of directors determines policy and monitors operations in conjunction with a board of advisors. Board members are dedicated volunteers who are deeply concerned about the problems of poverty housing in our community. We operate with an administrative staff, assisted by a core group of clerical and support employees and supplemented by long-term and short-term volunteers.

Government Support
Habitat does not accept government funds for the construction of new houses or for the renovation or repair of existing houses. Ocassionally, we accept government funds for "stage-setting" infrastructure needs (streets, sewers, etc.) , or for the acquisition of land, so long as the funds have no strings attached that would violate Habitat's principles.