HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

ARKANSAS CITY

Fact Sheet

Habitat for Humanity:  HFH is an ecumenical Christian non-profit organization created to provide access to decent, affordable housing for working families of modest means.  Our mission is to work in partnership with the community and individuals in need, to build a simple decent home.  We are affiliated with Habitat for Humanity International, which has built over 500,000 homes around the world through the work of 1,600 US affiliates and affiliates in 100 countries around the world.

Housing Needs:  In Cowley County a significant portion of the population are working poor, due to their lower paying jobs.  As a result, families tend to live in substandard housing and spend between 45-70% of their income on rent.

Solution:  One solution to this housing problem is Habitat for Humanity.  Habitat works in partnership with the working lower income families to build simple affordable housing.  A typical three bedroom, 1,300 square foot home costs approximately $40,000 to build.  Habitat houses are built by the homeowners, community volunteers, and skilled labor using tax-deductible donations of money, skills, and materials.  Once the homes are completed they are sold to families at no profit and are financed through an affordable, no-interest loan.  The homeowner’s monthly mortgage payments go into building more homes in Arkansas City.  In addition to a small down payment and the monthly mortgage payments, each homeowner family invests a minimum of 300 hours of labor into the building of their own home.

Habitat Families:  To be selected for a Habitat home in Arkansas City, a family must have a need for improved housing and have an income that falls between 30% and 50% of the Cowley County median income.  Additionally, families must be willing to partner with us and be a legal resident of Cowley County.  The homes are sold to the families at the appraised value.  The sale is written using a first mortgage in the amount of the value to cover the cost of building the home and a second mortgage for the difference, or unearned equity, which is forgiven over a twenty year period.

Habitat Builds More Than Houses:  Our philosophy is that shelter is a basic human need and that everyone deserves a simple decent place to live.  Habitat for Humanity’s goal is to eradicate all substandard housing from the world, not through charity, but by providing those in need with the capital, volunteers, and skilled labor to help themselves.  The benefits of this simple concept do not end with the sale of the home, but have been found to affect other areas of the family’s life.  The health of the family tend to improve, there is a reduction in domestic violence, children’s grades improve due to a more stable environment, and family members begin to feel empowered to improve other areas of their lives over which they previously felt they had no control. 

Accomplishments to Date:  Arkansas City Habitat for Humanity organized in 2000.  We have built one house each year since then and have added approximately $700,000 worth of real estate to the tax rolls in Arkansas City.