Habitat for Humanity: A Christian Ministry
Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian organization dedicated to eliminating substandard housing and homelessness worldwide. Habitat is founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a simple, decent, affordable place to live in dignity and safety.

Habitat for Humanity's policy is to build with people in need regardless of race or religion, and we welcome volunteers and supporters from all backgrounds.

Through the love of God, the work of Habitat for Humanity is driven to eliminate poverty housing. Habitat's mission and methods are predominantly derived from a few key theological concepts: the necessity of putting faith into action, the "economics of Jesus" and the "theology of the hammer."

How Does Habitat Work?
Through volunteer labor and 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 used to build more Habitat houses.

Habitat is not a giveaway program. In addition to a down payment and the monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest their own labor -- sweat equity -- into building their Habitat house and the houses of others. Families are required to put in a minimum of 350 sweat equity hours for a two-parent family and 300 sweat equity hours for a single-parent family. Included in these sweat equity hours, each family must work at least 50 hours on other Habitat homes. Each family must also attend educational courses on how to maintain a home, landscaping, budgeting and insurance.

The combination of holding down construction expense and eliminating mortgage interest makes these homes affordable. Including property taxes and insurance, the Habitat homeowner pays no more than 25 percent of their household income on housing.

History
Since its founding in 1987, Habitat has built and then sold homes to more than 135 working, low income individuals/families. HFHDC also assists other city and county agencies to provide low income housing and remodeling assistance.

Harmony Park Condominium, formerly Eric Circle neighborhood,
off of Badger Road in South Madison.

In late 1995, an ambitious four-year project began: the purchase and renovation of 8 apartment buildings in the troubled Eric Circle Neighborhood in the Town of Madison. In 1998, the Eric Circle Project had been renamed by the new Habitat home owners to Harmony Park, reflecting the new spirit of community and cooperation. In early 2000, the last four families moved into their new condominium homes and completed the new neighborhood of 29 families and the permanent site of our Habitat office.

Habitat for Humanity of Dane County launched an equally ambitious project in 2002 with the purchase of a 40-acre site on the east side of Madison to develop a mixed-income neighborhood called Twin Oaks. Habitat retained 50 sites and sold the remaining to a range of for-profit and nonprofit builders. Thanks to a capital campaign that raised more than $4 million from companies, churches, foundations and individuals, Habitat has partnered with more than 40 families to build homes in Twin Oaks and will build the remaining 10 homes in the next two years.

In addition to Twin Oaks, Habitat is building in Oregon, Stoughton, Deerfield, Mt. Vernon and Middleton. Habitat for Humanity of Dane County continues to look for ways to work with more families to attain the dream of homeownership, including the re-development of existing multi-family homes using the Harmony Park model.