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Frequently Asked Questions

General

  • What is Habitat for Humanity of Southwest Alabama and what do we do?

    • Habitat for Humanity of Southwest Alabama is a home-ownership program that builds and sells homes to hard-working families in need of decent and affordable housing. We are a local and autonomously funded affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a non-profit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. ​

  • ​Are Habitat homes given away?​

    • No. Our homes are built in partnership with low-income families. Partner families pay for closing costs and make monthly zero-interest mortgage payments. Partner families are required to invest 300-400 hours of their own labor into building their Habitat house and the houses of others, as well as attend a series of Home Buyer Education classes. ​

  • What kinds of homes do you build?

    • Habitat for Humanity of Southwest Alabama builds single-family homes ranging from two to six bedrooms. ​

  • Where do you build your homes? 

    • We build in the following counties: Mobile, Clarke, and Washington. If you are interested in getting involved with Habitat outside of our Southwest Alabama area, please visit Alabama Association of Habitat Affiliates for a map of other affiliates in Alabama. ​

Volunteering

  • How can I volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of Southwest Alabama? 

    • There are a number of ways to get involved with Habitat for Humanity of Southwest Alabama. Volunteers can work on construction sites, in our ReStore (home improvement outlets that raise money for Habitat for Humanity of Southwest Alabama), or on special projects​ and committees. 

  • What are the age requirements to volunteer with Habitat?​

    • You must be at least 16 years old to volunteer on a construction site. If you are 15 or 16 years old, you can volunteer at the ReStore provided you have an adult volunteering with you for your entire shift. Youth under the age of 16 can also support Habitat's mission through a variety of other projects. â€‹

  • What days can I volunteer? ​

    • Habitat for Humanity of Southwest Alabama volunteers can sign up to build Tuesday--Saturday year-round. Volunteers can work at the ReStore Monday--Saturday year-round. ​

  • Can groups of people volunteer? 

    • Yes. Volunteer groups are made up of 5 to 30 people who want to volunteer at the same site on the same day. ​

  • How long am I expected to stay on the job site?

    • Our day starts with a mandatory safety meeting at 7:45am. We, at Habitat, know our volunteers have other responsibilities, so staying for the whole construction day (8:00am-3:30pm) is not mandatory. ​

  • Do I need construction experience?

    • No, many of our volunteers are first time builders. We have specialized staff to provide guidance for our volunteers. ​

  • Where will we be working?

    • The build sites are determined weekly and will be posted on the Facebook and website every Monday. ​

    • You can call or email our Volunteer Coordinator as well. 

  • Do I need to bring my own tools? 

    • We provide all the tools and materials at the build site, but if you would like to bring your own tools, you are more than welcome to do so. ​

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