Ravalli County Habitat for Humanity's Family Selection Criteria are as follows:

• Need - The applicant's family must be living under inadequate housing conditions. This may include the family being burdened by excessively high rent, over-crowding, structural problems with residence and/or inadequate utilities.

• Ability to Pay- The applicant's family must have total household income that is between 25 - 50% of the current HUD Median Income Guidelines for the Ravalli County Area, adjusting for family size. The applicant's income alone must be sufficient to pay for a Habitat mortgage as well as things such as utilities and a $250 down payment. Income need not be job-related, but may include disability, alimony or child support.

• Willingness to Partner- The applicant must be willing to participate in the Habitat Program as a partner in building the family's home and those of others. 500 hours of "Sweat Equity" are required once an applicant has been board approved and must be completed before "move-in". 250 of those hours may be completed by friends and family of a single-applicant family, 150 of these hours may be donated to dual-applicant family. The applicant is required to complete 40 hours/month following acceptance into the program and at least 100 hours at the construction site actually building the family's home.

• Residency- The applicant must have lived or worked in the area served by the affiliate for a period of at least one year during the past three years.

 You can contact Ravalli County Habitat for Humanity @ 375-1926 or via e-mail RavalliHabitat@yahoo.com for further information to determine your eligibility. You can also down load an Application for Housing from this page.