Committees
Construction Committee
Chairperson: Larry Bagnall
Meeting Time: Last Tuesday of the Month @ 7:00 PM
Location: 2317 SW 13th Street, Gainesville, Fl
The Construction Committee is responsible for: (1) working with the Site Selection committee to evaluate potential building sites, (2) creating a workable construction plan for the new house, and (3) developing a system for organizing families and volunteers for construction.
Site Selection Committee
The Site Selection Committee works to manage the affiliate’s existing inventory of vacant land in a manner that supports and compliments the most efficient use of available resources. The committee also works to acquire new properties that enable the affiliate to continue its mission without interruption or delay.
The Site Selection Committee meets on an ‘as needed’ basis and forwards recommendations to the Executive Committee for action, or to the Board of Directors for approval.
Family Support Committee
Alachua Habitat for Humanity is committed to the development and uplifting of families and communities, not only to the construction of houses. The Family Support committee plays an integral part in accomplishing this vision. This committee is the primary liaison between the affiliate and the partner families.
The members of the Family Support Committee advise, assist, encourage and befriend program beneficiaries as they transition from renter toward responsible Habitat home ownership.
The members of the Family Support Committee do this by:
- Providing information on Habitat rules and regulations
- Acting as advocates for our partners
- Assisting in the completion of “sweat equity” requirements
- Sharing our personal experience about home ownership and management
- Assisting in personal money management and financial responsibility
- Facilitating access to and obtaining information on additional training programs that might be of assistance to our partners
- Holding regular, periodic training sessions for our partners.
Family Selection Committee
Chairperson: Charmaine Gibson
Alachua Habitat for Humanity is a Christian housing ministry financed through private donations. Our purpose is to build homes in partnership with families in need of adequate shelter and to sell the houses at no profit and no interest.
Some general guidelines to become a Habitat homeowner/partner are as follows.
Residency:
You must be living in Alachua County and have lived here for the past 12 months or longer.
Need for Adequate Shelter:
Current shelter is in serious disrepair, has an inadequate number of bedrooms as determined by number, ages and gender of household members, or current neighborhood is unsuitable, unsafe or unsanitary.
Ability to Pay for a Habitat Home:
Qualifying families must have a minimum household gross income of $2,300 per month for up to four people. For every additional person, the minimum increases. The income may come from employment, SS, SSI, child support or any combination. The family must have the ability to make monthly house payments along with their current debts and monthly expenses. Consumer Credit Counseling Services, Inc. recommends that no more than 25-30% of a family’s total income should be spent on housing.
The family must have a satisfactory credit history and references. A family selected for a Habitat home will need a total of $750 at closing to pay the $500 down payment and $250 toward the first year’s insurance and taxes. In addition, the family may need to save around $400 for utility, telephone and cable hookups.
Willingness to Partner with Habitat:
The family must complete 400 hours of “sweat equity” before closing; 200 hours to be completed prior to lot selection and house plan approval. The family must participate in Habitat’s nurturing program that includes financial counseling and household management education. The family must be committed to maintaining their home in good condition. In addition, Alachua Habitat for Humanity policy dictates that after occupancy homeowners must participate in the Homeowner’s Association if there is one so they can continue to be a part of Habitat.
If you do not fill out the application completely and/or provide all documents requested your application will be delayed until these items are completed. If you have any questions, please call the Habitat office at 352-378-4663.
Habitat does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, age, gender, familial status, national origin or disability.
The Family Selection Committee meets the first Monday of the month (excluding holidays). This committee is responsible for completing a financial review of each Habitat for Humanity (HFH) application package to determine income and debt ratios that fall within accepted HFH home ownership criteria. It is important to note that this review can only be accomplished if the applicant submits a complete package that includes all of the requested/required documents.
Committee members also complete home visits to determine an applicant’s “need for adequate housing” for those applications that make it through the financial review. The final step in the committee’s process is the recommendation of an applicant to become a HFH homeowner partner to the Executive Board.
Personal and Nominating Committee
The Personnel and Nominating Committee seeks out, identifies and invites individuals to join the Board of Directors whenever a vacancy occurs. This committee also performs an annual review of the Executive Director’s performance and recommends salary changes to the Board.
Executive Committee
Alachua Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit corporation established under the laws of the State of Florida. The corporation has a Board of Directors and Officers. The Executive Committee consists of the officers of the corporation and those others designated by the President.
The role of the Executive Committee is to oversee the day-to-day operations of the organization and therefore meets more frequently than the Board of Directors. The Executive Committee prepares materials for the Board’s consideration and makes recommendations to the full Board.
Church Relations Committee
The Church Relations Committee defines short and long-term goals for the relationships between Habitat and local ministries. Using resources from Habitat for Humanity International, and samples of church relations efforts from other affiliates, they determine the steps required to meet these goals and how to implement them. They also develop informational materials, train speakers and for arrange presentations in churches throughout the community.
Fundraising Committee
The fundraising committee extends its reach throughout the community to gather resources and raise funds for upcoming building projects in the forms of: planned giving, grant writing, corporate sponsorships and major donors. Alachua Habitat also works with businesses interested in taking advantage of Florida’s Community Contribution Tax Credit Program, a mutually beneficial incentive designed to reward charitable business practices.
Finance Committee
The finance committee, working with the Executive Director, develops the annual budget and presents it to the Board of Directors for approval. The committee also oversees the day to day operations of the organization to ensure its financial health.
Mortgage Committee
Members
Debby Combs Knopf, Chair
Mike Lucas
Charmaine Gibson
Don Athearn
Brenda Pickins
Staff
Robin Bastanzi
The Mortgage Committee monitors the payment history of our homeowners to ensure payments are made in a timely manner. If a homeowner becomes delinquent and mortgage payment has not been made by the late payment date of the month following the delinquency, a delinquency letter will be sent by the Mortgage Committee requesting that payment be made to make the mortgage current.
If, by the last day of the second month following the delinquency the mortgage payments have not been made to bring the mortgage current, or if the payments have not been made in accordance with their commitment the homeowner will be sent a letter from the Mortgage Committee informing the homeowner that they must schedule a meeting with the Mortgage Committee within 10 days of receipt of the letter, to discuss the delinquent mortgage. Failure of the homeowner to schedule and attend the meeting shall require the Mortgage Committed to inform the Board of Directors and recommend initiation of foreclosure proceedings.
|
