HabiFacts (FAQs)

Habitat for Humanity International was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller as a non-profit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry, seeking to eliminate substandard housing.
Habitat International has built more than 200,000 houses around the world in 100 countries, providing safe, decent affordable housing for approximately one million people. Habitat is now building an average of 60 houses a day or one every 25 minutes.

In October of 1988, the Tulsa Habitat for Humanity was established for the purpose of building simple, decent and affordable homes for Tulsans in need.
Year end 2005 Tulsa Habitat for Humanity has completed 130 homes. Forty five of these homes were built in the last three years. In order to eliminate substandard housing in Tulsa, Tulsa Habitat for Humanity intends to build an additional 1500 houses by the year 2025. We are targeting 25 homes in 2006.

Through volunteer labor and tax-deductible donations of money and materials, Habitat builds houses with the help of the home buyer (partner) families.
These families enter into a working relationship with Habitat to have homes built at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest mortgages. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments go into a revolving fund that is used to build more houses.

The land, supervision, materials and required trade work for the Habitat houses cost about $50,500 - $55,000, which Habitat funds through donations from sponsors. gifts in kind, and homeowner payments.
Habitat builds homes in Tulsa on cost-efficient property that has been purchased or donated. Habitat houses are affordable for low-income families because there is no profit included in the sale price, and no interest charged on the approximate $250 per month mortgage. The mortgage varies slightly based on the taxes and insurance for each location. The average length of a Habitat mortgage is 30 years. Sponsorship of the house is $40,000. We welcome sponsors choosing to donate the entire cost. Partial sponsorships are also available. Call the Tulsa Habitat office at the number at the bottom of this page to inquire about sponsorship opportunities. All partner family payments are used to build additional Tulsa Habitat homes. We also tithe to Habitat International to fund overseas building efforts in 100 countries.

Families apply for Habitat homes.
A Family Selection Committee chooses homeowners based on their level of need, their willingness to become partners in the program, and their ability to repay the loan for their home. All families work 500 hours of "sweat equity", 450 of those hours are on the construction of other people's homes, money management classes, homeowner workshops or other Habitat work projects with the last 50 hours dedicated to building their own house. Habitat follows a non-discriminatory policy of family selection. Neither race nor religion is a factor in choosing the families that receive Habitat houses.

Volunteers from the community and partner families build the houses.
Anyone is welcome to help build. Tulsa Habitat homes have been funded and built by churches, foundations, individuals and corporations. People from the funding organizations often volunteer their time and skills for building as well as their money for the materials. Other ways the community contributes to the homebuilding is through gifts in kind of lots, building materials and skilled services. Check our website Where We Build page for current building locations.