Organization Profile
Putnam Habitat for Humanity
http://putnamhabitat.orgDescription and History Our mission is to put God’s love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope and to eliminate substandard, poverty housing conditions by giving low-income, working families in Putnam County, Florida, the opportunity to build and own a safe, decent, and affordable home. We also provide funding options, including grants, for emergency home repairs to low and moderate income homeowners in our county. Habitat for Humanity’s vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Putnam Habitat for Humanity (PHfH) was founded in 1991 and serves the residents of Putnam County. We have built 51 homes since inception, 40 of these homes were built after 2001, and we currently service 25 mortgages. Home pricing is based on the cost of materials, contracted labor, plus a $5,000 administration fee. Terms are 25-30 years and interest free. Homeowners make their monthly payments directly to our office. Property taxes, property insurance, and termite bond are included and deposited into escrow for each homeowner. Although escrow amounts may change from year-to-year, the principal amount will never change. Our local Habitat families are selected based on NEED above all else. Other considerations include the family’s ability to pay based on their income. A home visit is conducted by our family selection committee to determine a family’s need for a new home. As an example, two identical families want to be Habitat homeowners. One family lives in a high-rent house in very poor conditions; the other family lives in a moderate-rent house that is well-maintained by the landlord. We would look harder at the first family because the NEED is so great.
