Apply for Housing

Habitat for Humanity of Albany County selects families for homeownership based on three broad criteria:

  1. Each family must demonstrate housing need as well as residency in Albany County of at least one year.
  2. Each family must demonstrate ability to pay. Habitat for Humanity considers family income, debt-to-income ratio, and credit rating in determining each family's ability to pay. To determine whether your family income makes you eligible for a Habitat for Humanity home:
    1. Go to HUD: FY 2010 Income Limits Documentation
    2. Search for Albany County, WY
    3. To be eligible, your family income must be between 30% and 50% of median for Albany County, WY
  3. Each family must demonstrate a willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity in the construction and financing of their home. Habitat for Humanity asks each family it selects to contribute 300 hours to construction and to show real commitment to the responsibilities of home ownership.

Habitat for Humanity of Albany County's complete Family Selection Criteria is available below.

Application

Download Habitat for Humanity of Albany County's Homeownership Application.

For further information, please contact the Habitat for Humanity office in downtown Laramie at 307-745-4130 or Habitat.AlbanyCoWY@gmail.com.

Family Selection Criteria

Housing Need

  1. Residency: Each applicant must be a US citizen or permanent resident who lives and/or works within Albany County, Wyoming for at least one year before applying.
  2. Inadequate Housing: Applicants living in unsafe, structurally unstable or unsanitary conditions and/or applicants with substandard heating, water supply, electricity, bathrooms, or living space.

Ability to Pay

  1. Income: Applicants must have a regular, stable income between 30% and 50% of the medium income for Albany County, WY, based on the family’s size according to HUD. Income may include wages from all adult family members, Social Security benefits, regularly received or court ordered child support or alimony, food stamps, child care supplements, child tax benefits, pensions, disability income, WIC, etc. Bankruptcies must have been discharged two years before date of application. Applicants cannot be subject to liens, judgments, or (non-medical) collections. Applicants must not be able to qualify for a conventional loan, Farm Home or other Governmental loan, (or any other loan large enough to purchase an existing affordable house). Applicant’s household income may not be threatened by home ownership.
  2. Debt-to-Income Ratio: Applicant’s debt-to-income ratio should not exceed 40%. To calculate the ratio, divide the sum of monthly payments on loans, credit cards, the estimated Habitat principal, taxes, and insurance payments, and other debt, by monthly income.
  3. Credit: Habitat will obtain your credit report. While a history of bad credit does not automatically disqualify a family, at the time of application they must be able to meet their financial obligations. If you would like to review your credit report, you are entitled to one free report per year from each of the following: Equifax, TransUnion, Experian. Call 877-322-8228 to order.

Willingness to Partner

  1. Sweat Equity: Successful applicants and their immediate family must complete 300 hours of work before moving in to their home. A minimum of 100 hours must be worked by the selected family on the construction site. A maximum of 50 hours may be donated by friends and extended family members while working alongside the selected family. As children under age 16 cannot typically participate in construction, they may contribute through excellence in their schoolwork; 5 hours will be recorded for every A and 3 hours for every B.
  2. Expectations: Applications must fully participate in a series of homeowner workshops, exhibit a sincere desire for home ownership, be willing to accept responsibilities expected of a homeowner including home and yard care maintenance, and be understanding of the public nature of the organization.