Habitat for Humanity's Sweat Equity Program

The principals of “Sweat Equity”

Many of you know that every Habitat for Humanity requires each new home owner to have the responsibility of working to give back some of their time towards their local Habitat Affiliate office.  This can be done in many ways.  Each adult in the family must do 250 hours of “Sweat Equity” in which 100 of those hours must be spent working on the construction of their own home.  Additional hours may be done by family members, attending home owner classes, their children getting good grades, working at the Habitat office or in the ReStore are just a few examples.

But “Sweat Equity” is not a simple programmatic requirement, nor is it in any way meant to be a test for partner families to pass or fail.  Rather, sweat equity is an exciting cornerstone to the Habitat ministry, designed to meet three important goals:

Partnership – “Sweat Equity” provides meaningful interaction between partner families, affiliate representatives and Habitat volunteers.

Pride in homeownership – Investing “Sweat Equity” hours in their own homes helps families in the construction phase begin the transition to homeownership.

Development of skills and knowledge – On the building site, partner family members should gain a real understanding of the construction of their home and of maintenance issues they will face after occupancy.

So you see, it is not just a requirement, but a way of life in the Habitat for Humanity community that all must take part in. For more information on “Sweat Equity” or volunteering, please email:  bob.hickox@lycominghabitat.org.