every child
deserves a safe place to grow up*We are not currently accepting applications*
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A prosperous future starts with a home.
A safe and affordable home is the foundation of a better life, a healthy family, and a strong community. Habitat for Humanity of Island County provides an opportunity to attain safe, stable, and affordable housing. Together, we build financial independence.
Eligibility Requirements
Every Habitat homeowner meets the same, basic requirements: residency, need, financial ability, and willingness to help build your home.
Residency
Applicants must live or work in Island County for a minimum of 1 year, be a permanent, legal resident of the United States, and use the home they purchase as their primary residence.
Need
Potential homeowner must show that they have a current need for improved housing. This need can be demonstrated by a lack of space/overcrowded housing, current rent that is more than 50% of the family’s monthly income, unsafe living conditions, a dangerous environment, lack of or problems with major utilities, general structural problems, or other conditions that make your current home inadequate.
Ability to Pay a Mortgage
Habitat for Humanity provides home buyers with affordable mortgages that do not exceed 30% of the family’s monthly income. Applicants must have a steady source of income and demonstrate financial responsibility — generally determined by credit history.
Potential homebuyers should be earning eighty percent and below of Island County’s Average Median Income (AMI) based on family size.
Willingness to Partner
All future homeowners who will be on the loan documents are required to complete “sweat equity” as part of the down-payment on their home. These hours may be a combination time spent helping build your home, helping on another homebuyer’s home, working in the Habitat Store, or volunteering in our administrative office.
How to become a Habitat Homeowner
You’ve already taken the first step towards becoming a Habitat homebuyer, just by visiting this website. Official applications are only accepted during open application periods when a home is ready to be built or purchased. If you believe you meet the basic eligibility requirements, we ask you to take the following steps::
- Complete the Interest Form online or print and submit to the Family Services Manager.
- You will be added to our interest list and will be among the first to receive an application packet and notified when an open application period begins.
- During an open application period, submit a completed application and all required supporting documentation to the Family Services Manager.
- HFHIC will evaluate all applications for eligibility for the home buyer program. Qualified applicants will be presented to the board of directors for approval to the program.
Contact Us
US Research and Learning
Wealth Building and Financial Health of Habitat Homeowners
Understanding how well our homeowners build wealth and gauging their financial health are important elements to consider when assessing Habitat’s positive influence on the lives of partner families. To assess the ministry’s effect on these factors for Habitat homeowners, HFHI partnered with Washington University in St. Louis to:
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Measure wealth building and financial health among Habitat homeowners.
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Identify factors and best practices across the HFHI network that accelerate wealth building and improve financial health for Habitat homeowners.
This project compares Habitat homeowners to non-Habitat homeowners and renters with low income by analyzing information from surveys and interviews of homeowners and renters along with data from Equifax, one of the three credit bureaus.
- Even when Habitat homeowners miss a mortgage payment, they are 56% less likely to lose their homes to foreclosure than similar non-Habitat neighbors. When affiliates originate mortgages in-house, this risk is lowered even further.
- On average, Habitat homeowners’ credit scores increase by 22 points relative to their neighbors. Credit improvements begin before purchase, driven by Habitat’s pre-purchase education and counseling. Gains then compound with tenure and peak in the eighth year of homeownership when credit scores increase by 43 points.
- On average, Habitat homeowners accumulate $1,800 more in liquid assets (e.g., savings) than comparable neighbors. Growth builds over time and reaches $4,400 more by the sixth year of homeownership. These gains are especially pronounced for Black homeowners who accumulate $3,100 more in liquid assets on average and nearly $8,000 more by the sixth year of homeownership.
- Habitat’s zero- and low-interest mortgage models enable rapid, compounding housing equity growth from day one, often reaching 2.6 times the purchase value over a 30-year period. Features like forgivable loans and shared appreciation mortgages also increase early returns and maintain long-term wealth outcomes.
- Homeowners describe a boundary between achieving stability and building wealth, but with ongoing support from affiliates, homeowners gain financial confidence, actively save, and build wealth.
- Habitat homeowners report significantly higher levels of satisfaction with their home, satisfaction with their life, and optimism about their future than their comparable non-Habitat households.
- From the Habitat homeowner’s perspective, the goal of building wealth is intergenerational — having the opportunity to leave something behind for their children and break cycles of instability.
The findings are clear: Habitat’s model consistently supports long-term wealth building for homeowners and their families. By pairing affordable mortgages with targeted financial support, Habitat fosters the stability homeowners need to save, build wealth, and leave a foundation for the next generation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Habitat help families?
People and families in Island County partner with Island County Habitat to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage.
How does Habitat for Humanity homeownership work?
Families in need of decent, affordable housing apply to join the homeownership program. The family selection committee selects homeowners based on three criteria:
- The applicant’s level of need.
- Their willingness to partner with Habitat.
- Their ability to repay a mortgage through an affordable payment plan.
Habitat’s homebuyers invest hundreds of hours of their own labor, called sweat equity, working alongside volunteers and other Habitat homeowners, in addition to paying an affordable mortgage and receiving financial education.
Habitat for Humanity follows a nondiscriminatory policy of family selection. Habitat for Humanity of Island County does not discriminate because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, sexual orientation, age, gender identity, or national origin.
How do we keep Habitat homes affordable?
Island County Habitat homes are designed to remain affordable for generations to come.
- Land Trust – Island County Habitat retains ownership of the land through its Habitat Land Trust, a community land trust model. Homebuyers purchase the home itself, not the land beneath it. This helps keep the home purchase price and monthly mortgage payments lower. Each homeowner signs a 99-year renewable ground lease.
- Affordable Mortgage – Island County Habitat assists homebuyers to aquire an affordable mortgage along with a fixed resale formula ensuring equity appreciation. If the home is sold in the future, Island County Habitat will repurchase the home, remodel it as needed, and resell it to a new income qualified buyer.
- Volunteer Driven Model – Island County Habitat incorporates donated labor and materials whenever possible, alonside licensed and bonded contractors to ensure quality, safe construction.
This approach benefits both homeowners and the broader Island County community. Island County Habitat homebuyers build wealth while living in a safe, attractive, well-built home with affordable mortgage payments, and the community can count on these homes remaining affordable for future generations.
Does the homebuyer applicant have to live in Island County?
In order to purchase a home through Habitat for Humanity of Island County the applicant must live or work in Island County for at least one year. There are Habitat affiliates throughout Washington State and the entire U.S. People should apply in the county in which they reside.
Does Habitat for Humanity only build new houses?
Habitat for Humanity of Island County builds new affordable homes, performs critical home repairs for income-qualified homeowners, and preserves affordable homeownership by “recycling” Habitat homes. When a Habitat homeowner chooses to sell their home back to Habitat, we purchase it, make any necessary updates or renovations, and then sell it to another income-qualified homebuyer partner. This helps keep homes permanently affordable for future generations. Our Critical Home Repair Program provides health and safety repairs for income-qualified homeowners who live in their homes. Similar to our homeownership program, repair recipients contribute sweat equity when possible and repay a portion of the repair costs based on their ability to pay.