AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — About 45 percent of Americans currently don’t own a home or property, that’s according to recent numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Housing Vacancies and Homeownership survey.
With more than 300 families on its waiting list, Amarillo Habitat for Humanity (AHFH) is working to reduce that number locally. It’s taking applications until Oct. 9, to help more area families achieve the dream of home ownership.
“We are accepting applications until Oct. 9,” said Sarah Curtis, Director of Operations for Amarillo Habitat for Humanity. “But it is kind of a long application process, just like a traditional mortgage application.”
Curtis told MyHighPlains.com that AHFH builds about three houses a year, and although eligibility for a habitat home is lower than traditional methods, habitat families still must meet several qualifications.
“First, we qualify families based on their ability to pay and afford a home. They do have to have income so they can afford to be a homeowner, and then the family has to have a need. You know, where they’re living right now might be overpriced, overcrowded, in bad condition, so we kind of look at those two factors together,” Curtis explained.