Owning a home is the American dream. Longview Habitat for Humanity is here to help you find the path to home ownership. We work with community leaders, our neighbors, corporate sponsors and a host of volunteers to offer families in need the opportunity to own a home at cost, with a no interest mortgage.

Please read the following items to see if you have an interest in our ministry AND to see if you meet our general guidelines.

TO RECEIVE AN APPLICATION, YOU MUST ATTEND AN APPLICANT ORIENTATION SESSION. SESSIONS ARE SCHEDULED IN APRIL. Please check our online calendar for the next applicant orientation session.

To qualify you must have a need for better housing. Such unsafe conditions as severe roof leaks or structural problems, inadequate plumbing or heating, overcrowding, or paying more than 30% of your income for housing, are examples of things which would qualify.

You must have lived in Longview for at least the past year before applying.

You must have a steady household income from all sources that are within these limits:

Income Guidelines 2010

Household Size	not less than	not more than
One	$950	$1465
Two	$1010	$1675
Three	$1130	$1895
Four	$1255	$2100
Five	$1355	$2260
Six	$1455	$2425
Seven	$1555	$2600
Eight	$1655	$2775

With your permission, we will verify employment and other income, verify bank account balances, get a statement from your current and previous landlords, and review your credit.  Poor credit history will not necessarily disqualify you; we will work with you.

If you are approved into the Habitat program, you will be required to attend a series of classes and workshops to learn and practice budgeting, home repair,  maintenance, and other homeownership skills. We ask that you attend the Longview Habitat Homeowners Association meetings.

If you are approved into the Habitat program, all adults (18 years and older) in your household must be willing to work a total of at least 350 hours of "sweat equity", working on Habitat projects. 100 of those hours must be completed (within the first 6 months) before construction can begin on your home ( actual construction usually starts at about 200 hours)

If you are approved into the Habitat program, you will be required to make a 1% down payment (approximately $510-$610), pay about $1,330 in closing costs, and about $600 - $800 for the first year's homeowner's insurance, before you can move into your home. To save for these costs, you will be required to begin making monthly deposits as soon as your family is selected. Grants are available to help you pay these amounts. We will help you apply for them.

If you are approved into the Habitat program, and when you have completed the sweat-equity and down payment/closing fee deposit requirements, Habitat will sell you the home you have helped build at cost. Habitat house payments include taxes and insurance, and will be approximately $350 to $400 a month. You will be required to pay all utilities and maintenance costs yourself. The house payments will be used by Longview Habitat to build more houses with other families. This requires that you make these payments on time.

Application meetings will take place in May. You must attend one of these meetings to receive an application.

The information on your application will be verified and, if it meets our guidelines, an interview will be scheduled with you in your home. Familes most in need of better housing and best able to meet the costs of homeownership will then be selected. Families not selected will be notified and encouraged to reapply. There is no waiting list.

Patience! Patience! Longview Habitat uses donated money and volunteer labor to build homes. We are limited in the number of families we can help each year. You must be willing to be patient and persistent. You may have to apply more than once.  And please understand that meeting the guidelines does not guarantee that you will be chosen to purchase a home. Families most in need of decent housing will be selected from all qualified applications received during each selection period.

If you are interested in Habitat's program and feel you qualify for a home according to the guidelines listed above, we encourage you to attend our next application meeting.  Please cleck our online calendar for the next applicant orientation session.

For additional information please call the office at (903) 236-0900 ext. 201.