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Applications Being Accepted For Bloomfield Habitat For Humanity Home

Last updated on Wednesday, March 6, 2013

(BLOOMFIELD) - Greene County Habitat for Humanity is accepting applications for a partner family to live in a Bloomfield home.

Sabrina Westfall, of the Greene County Daily World reports, the "Unity Home," located at the corner of Shyla Lane and Forest Drive in Bloomfield, is available for those eligible to submit applications, according to Bloomfield Housing Authority Treasurer Melissa Blake.

"The Bloomfield house is called the 'Unity Home'. We called it this because it brought so many different churches together during the construction," Blake explained.

Blake said due to the home being complete and in the area for a while, the new partner family would have to take different actions to assume the home.

"How the Habitat home works, is they apply for a mortgage. They have to put in sweat equity hours. Instead of being the mortgagee, they become a partner family. They partner with Habitat to do the home," Blake explained.

Most families who move into a Habitat home are able to put in their 300 sweat equity hours by helping build the home, but the process will be different this time.

"It is an existing house. It's been in the program and we have gained ownership of the home. In the past the sweat equity hours is during the building of the home. In this (case) there will be other ways like fundraising or helping with the next house," Blake explained.

Blake said Habitat for Humanity hopes to have a new family found for the three-bedroom home quickly.

She added work had already been done to the home to get it ready for the next partner family.

"Community Corrections spent two weeks painting on the inside," Blake said, adding other minor repairs have been done as well.

Applications to become a partner family must be turned in by March 15, and are available at the Family and Social Services Administration, Bloomfield First Presbyterian Church, Bloomfield First Baptist Church, Bloomfield First Christian Church, and Bloomfield State Bank (Main Branch).

Blake added there are specifications outlined for a potential partner family in the pre-application available at the above locations.

The application stresses the Habitat for Humanity home is considered a "hand up" and not a "hand out."

The selection criteria include, living in substandard, unsuitable or unsafe housing; willingness to partner through sweat equity; family income of 30 to 60 percent of median income for Greene County; ability to repay a modest mortgage, with also having paid any bankruptcies at least two years ago; employment with at least six months on the job; and must have been a resident of Greene County for at least one year.

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