Our Homeowners

Meet the Desalegns

Tedla and Misaye and their one year old daughter, Eliana, live in a tiny one bedroom, one bath apartment. They have lived in Cobb County for two years and worked here for 4 years. In the winter, the apartment is very cold, and the bedroom is one of the coldest areas in the apartment. The floors are warped, and they are very concerned about their daughter crawling and walking on the cold, uneven floors. They have excessively high utility bills because of frequent problems that the management of the complex is slow to repair. There is mold and mildew on the kitchen and bathroom ceilings. Security is a major concern, since there have been numerous burglaries and car break-ins in the area.

Tedla and Misaye are excited about being chosen to get a Habitat home and are already working on their sweat equity and required "Living Smart" classes. They are excited about living in a diverse community and being closer to family and friends that help with childcare. They show a spirit of generosity and a willingness to work and to give of themselves in energy and resources, not just for their own home, but for others in their neighborhood and their community. We are excited to be building a home for Tedla, Misaye and Eliana.

The Homeowner

Habitat houses begin with a dream of homeownership and a desire on behalf of the community to provide "a hand up" to working families who - for whatever reason - are unable to purchase a home by conventional means. Habitat homes are not given away - they are sold to pre-qualfied homeowners (called "partners") using a zero-interest, zero-profit mortgage. The selected future homeowner must pass a rigorous qualification process, which includes:

proving citizenship or legal status in the U.S.
working or living in the county of residence for at least one year
a 20% income to debt ratio
a proven ability to pay bills on time and reasonably carry a mortgage

After pre-qualification, the new partner must spend 100 hours working on another Habitat house being built for another family; then, they must spend 100 hours working on their own home (we call this "sweat equity"). In addition, they must successfully complete "Living Smart", a course designed to teach financial management and home maintenance to new homeowners.

Habitat homes must be owner-occupied, they can never have "second" mortgages placed on them, and they are covenant-protected, including lawn and home maintenance requirements and numbers of residents per house restrictions.

Our homeowners are proud of their neighborhoods and are commited to keeping the American dream of home ownership alive and well. Habitat is a home-builder, a mortgage company, a property management group and a family support ministry all in one.