Habitat for Humanity is not a charity or a give-away program. Partner families pay $2,000 of their closing costs and maintain current payments on a mortgage which we provide at no interest. They also invest hundreds of hours of labor—sweat equity—into building their own homes and the homes of others. The time they spend in our homebuyer classes, training, and individual counseling counts toward their 350 hours of labor. They work alongside Habitat for Humanity of Citrus County (HFHCC) generous volunteers who also donate time, skills and energy to help build the houses.
The first step on the road to homeownership is through participation in our HFHCC’s homebuyer education and financial and credit counseling program and we assist them in establishing a responsible budget, a plan to resolve credit issues and build a foundation to begin building savings. This is a move upward toward self-sufficiency (eventually enabling to move up socioeconomically).
Our program includes a series of classes that provide in-depth home-buyer education including all phases of homeownership from first steps through satisfaction of mortgage. We also partner with the University of Florida IFAS Extension Services to provide eight hours of HUD certified counseling services.
In addition to individual counseling for our HFH families, we will also serve dozens of clients this year who choose other paths to affordable housing. Many of the participants come to us because our Habitat for Humanity brand is well known throughout the world, locally and in addition, no other low-income housing agencies provide these services.
HFHCC's Homebuyer Education and Financial/Counseling Services Programs are provided through our Family Services Department, General Staff, and our Building Staff. The Homebuyer Education Program is a unique, comprehensive program designed to assist low-moderate (LMI)homebuyers in making informed personal and financial decisions regarding homeownership.
The specific objectives for program are to provide a potential homebuyer with information to assist them with the following:
▪ How to qualify for the Habitat and other programs available in our community, sweat equity requirements, Fair Housing and whether or not homeownership is the right choice.
▪ How to be financially capable to buy a home including basics such as budgeting, purchasing, monthly payments, predatory lending, and we also teach them how to avoid pawn shops, check cashing stores, too good to be free offers and more.
▪ How to qualify for home purchase financing, including establishing an acceptable credit history.
▪ Identifying and resolving personal credit problems.
▪ Whether or not they are eligible for assistance programs.
▪ How to purchase the right home, including determining wants and needs, affordability, working with realtors, sellers and builders, and understanding the terminology and procedures involved in a home purchase contract.
▪ How to understand down payment assistance programs, mortgage loans, escrow procedures, loan settlement procedures and homestead exemption procedures, home insurance and deductibles, making
monthly payments on time.
▪ How to be prepared for the responsibilities of life as a homebuyer: being a good neighbor, Domestic Violence and Drug Abuse (neighborhood watch), Zoning Laws, Pets, Home Maintenance, Lighting and Landscaping.
▪ Being Prepared, i.e., Consulting with Attorneys, Power of Attorney, Life Insurance, Living Wills, Guardianship for Minor Children
▪ Home Care and Repairs: Home care tips, long and short-term maintenance, important safety devices, energy conservation, yard care, warranties for home and appliances, septic tank and well maintenance
when applicable,
▪ Building: Job safety, introduction of tools, safety with power tools, home maintenance with the pros.
Our class curriculum is designed to meet these objectives and nine classes are held on evenings and include: What is Homeownership? Preparing for Homeownership, Shopping for a Home, The Credit Process, Obtaining a Mortgage and Predatory Lending, Insurance Considerations for Homeowners, Life as a Homeowner, Homebuilding, Home Maintenance Made Easy, and The Closing. In addition to the curriculum on the home buying process, the course also assists homebuyers in planning a home maintenance schedule and one-to-one financial education services (planning a budget, dealing with credit issues, etc.).
HFHCC is providing our Credit Restoration Specialist and Counselor to help individuals and families with thorough, personalized assistance (credit repair, one-on-one counseling, etc.) to attain their goal of homeownership.
HFHCC also has access to a cadre of online training programs and classes that we are offering to our families and participants since the period of coronavirus distancing. In addition, in lieu of hands-on sweat equity work, we have a system of awarding sweat equity credit through fulfillment of our many helpful, virtual training experiences that are an enhancement to our normally scheduled in-person training and classes.
The LMI family population continues to grow, and Habitat for Humanity is the only significant Low-Income Homeownership Agency in Citrus County. We are the only agency that provides zero interest loans to very low-income families and payments scaled to incomes. One hundred percent of our families qualify as very-low to low income according to HUD income standards.
Our counseling staff has received certification from Freddie Mac to provide the CreditSmart Curriculum and is now trained through the University of Florida Extension Services to be a Money Management Mentor. We continue to train our employees with the most current information available to assist our clients for financial success.
An estimated 400 very-low and low-income families will benefit from the education and counseling they receive through enhanced financial knowledge and capability, homeowner education and ability to purchase a home, maintain a home and make timely payments. Participants will be enabled to achieve a better quality of life by what they learn and through attaining decent, affordable homes and a more stable future.
Your contribution/grant will help to fund a portion of the Homebuyer Education and Financial/Credit Counseling program and help us retain our operating funds for building homes and other program needs.
