Homeownership
A safe, stable, and affordable home is an essential building block of a thriving community.
Habitat for Humanity of the Greater La Crosse Region builds and rehabilitates homes in partnership with income-qualified families in our service region. We do not give houses away for free. Instead, homes are sold to selected households and financed through affordable mortgages that may contain a below market interest rate.
Applicant(s) must live in Wisconsin or Minnesota to be eligible. To find your local Habitat for Humanity, click here.
Eligibility
To qualify for the Homeownership Program, you:
- Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
- Must have lived in La Crosse, Trempealeau, Vernon, Monroe or Houston County for a year before applying.
- Cannot have had property foreclosed on for one year before applying.
- Have a total family income must fall between 30% to 80% of area median income*
*Income requirements change every year based on guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Please contact us to see if your income qualifies you.
Selection Criteria
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Need for decent, affordable housing
We assess families’ current housing situations and note if you are living in unsafe, overcrowded, poorly maintained, and/or inaccessible housing. We also take into consideration how much of your income you spend on housing.
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Ability to pay
Your family must be able to afford a mortgage, real estate taxes, and homeowners’ insurance. We look for steady income, debt, and credit history. If you have had credit issues in the past, this does not automatically disqualify you.
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Willingness to partner
A partner family must commit to at least 150 hours of sweat equity, working alongside volunteers on Habitat projects. You must take homeowner education and credit counseling classes prior to purchasing your house, and you must turn in all application materials on time.
Partner Family
Stories
“Being a homeowner is a dream come true for Marcelina and her family. When seeing the plans for her home for the first time, Marcelina could hardly believe it was real.”
How to Apply
FAQs
We encourage anyone interested in Habitat homeownership to attend a Homeowner Information Meeting to learn more about the program and application process. Attending a meeting is not required to apply, but it is a great opportunity to ask questions, learn about eligibility requirements, and understand what to expect throughout the program.
Habitat collects homeownership applications once per year. When you apply, Habitat’s Selection Committee will evaluate your eligibility. This consists of obtaining documentation, references, verification forms, and a credit report. If you meet income and financial requirements, there will be a home visit. Here the Committee is looking for your need for housing and willingness to be an active partner with Habitat throughout the program. The Committee then determines your eligibility and presents selected families to the Board of Directors for approval.
Habitat La Crosse is qualifying and preparing applicants for a mortgage. To determine eligibility, we must verify your income, credit and assets. During the application process, you may be asked to provide updated documents to ensure we have the most accurate information.
Habitat homeowners purchase their homes through an affordable mortgage. Depending on the financing structure and available funding sources, the mortgage may include interest. Habitat works with families to ensure monthly housing costs remain affordable and may help identify down payment assistance or other resources when available.
Habitat homes are designed to be safe, affordable, and appropriate for the size of the household. Floor plans, square footage, and features may vary by development and location. Habitat strives to provide homes that meet the needs of the family while keeping construction costs affordable.
Applications are only available during designated application periods. Interested households can sign up for updates through our website to be notified when applications become available. Applications may be available online, at the ReStore, or by contacting Habitat staff directly.
Habitat does not require perfect credit. We review each applicant's overall financial situation and understand that many households have experienced financial challenges. Our goal is to help families become successful homeowners while ensuring homeownership remains affordable and sustainable. Certain debts, judgments, liens, or collections may need to be resolved before closing.
Preparing for homeownership looks different for every household. We encourage applicants to address any outstanding collections, debts, judgments, liens, or other credit concerns before applying. If you need help understanding your credit report or improving your financial situation, here is a list of HUD Approved Counseling Agencies(opens in new tab).
Income may come from a variety of sources, including full-time or part-time employment, self-employment, Social Security, disability benefits, retirement income, child support, alimony, kinship care payments, and other eligible sources. Habitat reviews each household's income individually as part of the application process.
The timeline varies depending on the availability of homes, construction schedules, and program requirements. From application to move-in, the process often takes 12 to 24 months. Selected applicants begin completing Partnership Hours and homeowner education while their future home is being prepared.
Need for housing is one of Habitat's selection criteria. A household may demonstrate need if their current housing is overcrowded, has health or safety concerns, is temporary in nature, or costs a significant portion of their income. Each household's situation is reviewed individually.
Partnership Hours are the volunteer hours completed by future homeowners as part of the Habitat program. These hours may include helping build Habitat homes, volunteering at Habitat events, participating in educational opportunities, or supporting other Habitat activities. Partnership Hours help build connections, skills, and a sense of community throughout the homeownership journey.
Absolutely. Many Habitat homeowners applied more than once before being accepted into the program. If you are not selected, Habitat may be able to connect you with resources or next steps that can help strengthen a future application.
Yes. Habitat for Humanity is an Equal Housing/Equal Opportunity lender and does not discriminate against anyone based on race, religion, source of income, or family make-up.
No. Applicants do not need traditional employment to qualify, but they must have a stable source of income. Income may come from employment, Social Security, disability benefits, retirement benefits, child support, or other eligible sources. Income requirements vary based on household size and program guidelines
Homeowner Program Common Myths
Fiction
People with disabilities can’t qualify for a Habitat home if they can’t help build their homes.
Fact
Having a disability does not prevent families from partnering with Habitat. In fact, Habitat works with future homeowners who have disabilities to design homes that meet their specific needs.
Habitat has a wide variety of volunteer options for future partner families that don’t require being on a job site, including volunteering at the ReStore, helping with events, and completing office work. We also work with future homeowners to provide accessible tasks they can complete in their homes, if possible. Habitat staff will work with the families to find other volunteer alternatives that will work for them.
Fiction
Habitat only builds homes for certain minorities.
Fact
Habitat builds houses to help people in need regardless of race or ethnicity. Three criteria drive the family selection process: need, ability to repay the no-profit, no-interest mortgage over a 30-year period, and a willingness to partner with Habitat. The U.S. Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibits denying anyone housing on the basis of race, sex, creed, marital status, color or national origin. The covenant that all local affiliates sign with Habitat for Humanity International also specifies that HFH homeowner families are selected “according to criteria that do not discriminate on the basis of race, creed or ethnic background.”
Fiction
Habitat for Humanity gives houses away for free.
Fact
Habitat for Humanity builds houses to help those in need and then sells the houses to the homeowner partners. Because of Habitat’s no-profit, no-interest loans, and because houses are built principally by volunteers, mortgage payments are affordable for those unable to obtain conventional financing for a home. Habitat homeowners typically earn incomes that are 30-60 percent of the median income. They are required to invest an average of 150 hours of “sweat equity” – which is time spent building their own home or other Habitat homes.
Fiction
You must be a Christian to become a Habitat homeowner.
Fact
Habitat for Humanity was founded as a Christian ministry. Homeowners are chosen without regard to creed, however, in keeping with legal requirements and with Habitat’s belief that God’s love extends to all – regardless of race, creed or nationality. We also welcome volunteers from all faiths – or no faith – who can actively embrace Habitat’s goal of eliminating poverty housing from the world.
Fiction
Habitat houses allow people to move from poverty to fancy new houses.
Fact
Any newly built house is going to be a dramatic change for a family that has been living in substandard housing. But Habitat houses are not extravagant. Habitat’s philosophy is to build safe, decent homes that families can afford to maintain. We invite those curious about Habitat homes to visit and volunteer at a construction site.
Fiction
Habitat houses lower neighborhood property values.
Fact
Many studies of low-cost housing show that affordable housing has no adverse effect on other neighborhood property values. In fact, Habitat for Humanity believes its approach to affordable housing can improve neighborhoods and communities by strengthening community spirit, increasing the tax base, and building better citizens through the cooperative efforts involved in Habitat construction.
Fiction
Habitat homeowners sell their houses and make a large profit because of the original low cost.
Fact
Habitat Founder and former President Millard Fuller addresses this issue in A Simple, Decent Place to Live: The Building Realization of Habitat for Humanity (Word Publishing, 1995): “In the two decades of Habitat for Humanity…we have had no history of people selling their houses. Why? Because it’s so hard for these families to get the houses in the first place. It’s like an impossible dream come true. The fact that they can make a profit is not even an issue because they realize that if they sell it they won’t have a house anymore. And they wouldn’t be able to make payments the way the world would demand on a new one, since the bank or someone else attempting to make a big profit would now be the lender.” Special second mortgages that are “paid off” by living in the house, as well as first buy-back option clauses that many affiliates put into their agreement with homeowners, also help alleviate concerns that some people may have regarding the resale of houses.