How Does Habitat Work?

There are two important keys to Habitat’s way of building and selling affordable and decent housing.

Donated Labour

The first “key” is that virtually all of the labour which goes into building or renovating the homes is donated. Almost everyone partnering with Habitat for Humanity Nanaimo is a volunteer. We have a Board of Directors and committees that work to get jobs done. Our volunteer Board of Directors makes all policy decisions and handles corporate affairs.

All our committees are comprised of people volunteering their time to Habitat. Sometimes it takes us a little longer to get things done because we depend on voluntary donations of time and effort. This is why we need your help with our work, and sometimes your patience.

Sale at Cost and an Interest-Free Mortgage

The second “key” is that we build homes with low-income families and do not charge interest as does a conventional bank. The selling price of your home will be determined after all construction has been completed. Those costs include, but are not limited to, land (whether donated or paid for), servicing fees, building materials (whether donated or paid for) and permits. You will only be paying for the actual cost of building the home. Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization and, as such, will not sell the home to you in order to make a profit. Habitat for Humanity offers their Partner Families interest-free mortgages. This means that each payment you make will go entirely towards the principal amount owing on your mortgage.

Volunteer Hours

Habitat for Humanity requires each family to commit 500 hours of their time as their contribution to the project. This contribution is called “Sweat Equity”.