Our Work in Australia

Building Homes at Home

Low-income families in Australia can achieve the dream of building and owning their very own safe, secure homes through building partnerships with Habitat for Humanity Australia. More than 100 homes have been completed in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia, with a further 40 family home projects in the pipeline.

Each family receives a low-interest loan and volunteers help with planning and construction. The family puts in 500 hours ‘sweat equity’ and repays the loan at low interest – their loan is then passed on to another family. Donations are needed to help build homes for Australian families. It’s a gift that keeps revolving, transforming the lives of families as they build futures for their children.

Family Selection

When a project is almost ready to commence, a public meeting is held to fully explain the application process and the particular project. Applications forms are available at this meeting.
To qualify, families wishing to apply must meet the following criteria:

• Currently living in ‘housing related stress’;
• Be unable to borrow to buy or build a home;
• Willing to partner with Habitat;
• Willing and able to contribute 500 hours of ‘sweat equity’ in building their home, including basic skills and financial training.
  

The family in the greatest ‘need’ meeting the above criteria will be selected.