Habitat for Humanity of Metro Louisville

Help Young Parents Become Homeowners

At Habitat for Humanity of Metro Louisville, we were founded on the conviction that everyone deserves a decent place to live. And during these challenging times, we've all seen the importance and impact of living in a stable, safe and affordable home. We believe in the power of home and it's why we work diligently to serve our homebuyer families who seek to achieve the security that homeownership provides. 

Our goal is to raise $50,000 to sponsor a home for young families like Elijah’s. Elijah is a young, single dad of 2 who had dreams of being a homeowner by the age of 30. Through acceptance into the Habitat Homeownership Program, Elijah was able to fulfill his homeownership dream without a financial setback.

 

Nearly two-thirds of millennials (those between the ages of 27 and 42) and more than half of Gen Zers (ages 18-26) have experienced significant financial hardships because of the economy. Increasing prices have led to a severe cost of living crisis, as wage increases have not kept pace. As today’s millennials are mostly renters, their homeownership rate of 43% is well below the national average of 65%, as of 2019. Delayed marriage, less financial security, and higher debt all contribute to lower homeownership rates for millennials. These twenty- and thirty-somethings face a tough market. Home prices remain near record levels, and mortgage rates are much higher than they were two years ago. Rising home prices and a record low inventory of affordable housing for sale have also impeded homeownership. The combination has created an affordability squeeze that’s forcing many millennials to keep renting.

Moments like this are made possible because of supporters like you. Your gift today will help us reach our goal of $50,000 to fund the construction of homes for young mothers like Olivia.

Your donation today will bring safety and stability to many families like Olivia’'s. Olivia learned of Habitat’s homeownership program through a mothers’ group of Facebook. Another mom in the group posted a flyer about Habitat’s upcoming application period, encouraging the other mothers to apply. Olivia decided to take a leap of faith and was accepted on the very first try. She was working when she received the call that she had been accepted and immediately started crying. “I have felt so stuck this past year and this has given me so much hope for the future,” she explains.

 

Olivia has a three-year-old daughter named Millie and you can see the pride in her eyes when she talks about her. This home is a place for her and her daughter to call their own. She hopes to one day pass it down to her. “The first thing I want to do when I move into my new home is dance with my daughter,” she says.

 

With your donation, you will bring a brighter future to many children. You'll bring hope home. Elijah says it best, " It shows that there are still good people in the world. It is proof that strangers can become family.”

Who We Are

Habitat for Humanity of Metro Louisville was founded in 1985 by a group of people concerned with the lack of affordable housing in Louisville. Since then, Habitat for Humanity has built or renovated over 552 homes in Louisville and Oldham County. Through volunteer labor and the donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and renovates simple, decent houses for people who make between 30%-80% of the area's median income. All partner homebuyers are required to invest 400 hours of sweat equity in their home and in homeowner education classes. Houses are sold at no profit with a zero interest, 20-year loan. The homeowners mortgage payments are reinvested to build more Habitat homes.

In 2016, Habitat launched the Love Your Neighborhood Program, a holistic approach to creating change in our neighborhoods that have the greatest need for stability. The program focuses on community development and home repair in low-income, under-served neighborhoods where Habitat has an investment. The goal is to increase pride in the neighborhood and improve the entire streetscape, while creating a safer and healthier environment.

For more information, visit www.louisvillehabitat.org.