Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity

We all need a home, whether you are born in Iowa or in a foreign land.  Homes provide more than shelter: it provides security, stablity and strength. 

Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity both remodels existing homes and builds new, highly energy efficient homes with people who live in Cedar, Iowa, Johnson and Washington Counties who earn less than 60% of area median income (approximately $45,000 for a family of four) who are also willing to donate 250 hours of sweat equity per adult for the construction of the home.  The home is then sold for no profit and with a 20-25 year, no-interest mortgage: Habitat homes are not given away (unlike a popular television program that gives away a home that has been built for a needy family: those families experience about a 60% failture rate as they cannot afford the new home), our families take classes on home maintenance/budgetting, and they pay full property taxes as responsible community members. 

Unfortunately, many of the families who apply and might qualify housing often have poor credit or too much debt and we then counsel them on how to improve so that they might qualify at some later date.

We are all God's children and need a safe place to sleep, prepare our meals and raise our families.  Habitat seeks to help, both here and overseas (we tithe 10% of our unrestricted donations to Habitat affiliates in one of 82 countries.  To date, Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity has donated enough tithe funds to build 105 homes overseas).  Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity relies on the goodwill of the community to donate funds, volunteer hours of building time, and support the families as they assume ownership responsiblities.  To date, we have helped 80 local families into ownership so they too can enjoy the saftey and security of having a home.