St. Croix Valley Habitat For Humanity

The St. Croix Valley Habitat for Humanity partners with communities to build homes with families in need of decent, responsibly built, affordable shelter. Affordable housing needs are significant for families in St. Croix and Pierce counties. In serving it central mission, St. Croix Valley Habitat for Humanity has completed 59 homes since 1997(3 more to close by May 2014), that low to moderate income families call home. Our organization also operates a ReStore in New Richmond, WI which is committed to decreasing the amount of construction and home rehabilitation waste in landfills. We take donations of all kinds and re-sell these construction related goods at minimal prices to the community. Finally, our organization has a "Brush with Kindness" program which focuses on assisting veterans, aging in place and low income families stay in their homes and update exterior needs, build wheelchair ramps, and provide energy efficient window replacements, etc.

The St. Croix Valley Habitat for Humanity helps break down the barriers to home ownership and provides a "hand up," not a "hand out" toward building security and the stable foundation that owning a home provides. We use several unique mechanisms to accomplish this: Sweat Equity-Habitat families are required to participate in the building of their home and are given credit toward the down-payment for their labor. Manageable Mortgage Payments-We service all our mortgages at 0% interest for 30 years, resulting in lower monthly payments. Volunteer Labor/Donations-Allows Habitat to keep construction costs to a bare minimum and keep mortgages low. Energy Efficient Building Commitment-"Green building" practices provide positive environmental benefits and significantly lower energy costs for home owners.