Enabling Home Ownership for Lower-Income Families in Vancouver & Clark County WA
Across our nation, and internationally, the "Habitat for Humanity" brand is known for their "helping hand-up" approach, reaching out and touching the lives of lower-income families that desire ownership of a decent place to live in. The local affiliate of the Habitat for Humanity organization is know as "Evergreen Habitat for Humanity."
Recently Melissa Gilbert gave a presentation at the Thursday Member Focus Group, talking about "why they do what they do" and provides several poignant stories of how their mission has made a positive difference to many families in Vancouver and Clark County.
Evergreen Habitat for Humanity's Melissa Gilbert on their mission locally:
Here are some Quick Facts from the Evergreen Habitat for Humanity's website:
- Families provide 500 hours of sweat-equity, working on their home or the home of a Habitat Neighbor.
- Over 500 volunteers work at our construction sites annually, providing most of the labor needed to build our homes..
- Habitat homes are sold at cost with 0% interest loans.
- A Habitat family of four earns between $22,170 to $44,340 per year - less than 60% of the median income in Clark County.
- The price of an Evergreen Habitat home with a zero-percent interest mortgage is $75,000.
- The Property must be in Good Repair, and must meet FHA Appraisal Guidelines.
- Applicants apply with a knowledgeable and experienced lender of their choice.
- A Reverse Mortgage Counseling Session is required.
To add to some of Melissa's remarks on the affordability of housing in Vancouver WA, as full-time real estate brokers we confirm that the rental market is very, very tight; and combined with the rapidly rising average home sales prices (the Median sales price is $245k+ in Vancouver currently), it can be quite difficult for many to find a housing solution that fits their budget. Thus, the niche provided by this organization is real, and we're glad they are here to work it!
If you are interested in making a Donation or Volunteering, here are some of the opportunities available with Evergreen Habitat for Humanity:
- Help with the Construction of a home(s);
- Office help;
- Donate a Vehicle.
- Donate re-usable building materials or appliances to their ReStore Retail Store;
- SHOP or Work at the ReStore Retail Store.
10811 SE 2nd St.
Vancouver WA 98664
You are also welcome to visit their website for more information on Evergreen Habitat for Humanity - Vancouver WA.
Disclaimer: as with any real estate and home loan information or statistics, we do our best to provide the best representation at the time the data was acquired and compiled. The data and reports are deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
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