At Habitat, Only the Best Get in the Door
By Austin Hertzler
Apollo High School, Owensboro

Out of every 100 people who apply for a Habitat for Humanity house, only three are accepted. For applicants, the process won’t just be tough, it will be close to impossible.
Omar Muse and his wife Ubah knew they faced slim chances when they began the application process with Habitat in Louisville.
Of the 1000 applications Habitat of Louisville receives every year, only 30 become a part of the program. With odds against them, the family of Somali immigrants jumped into the three-month application process that would eventually match them with a team of 360 teenagers who would help build them a home as part of their work in the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program.
    Before families can even begin the Habitat application process, they must first complete a pre-application that reveals their income and debt to see if they will be able to afford and maintain the home. The income requirements are very specific.
A document obtained from Jackie Isaacs, Family Services Coordinator, states that the family must have “28 (to) 70% of Area Median Income.” Volunteer House Leader Chuck Sgro added that the family must have “no more than $3,000 of debt in anything.”
    If approved they move on to the six page full application, which is much more rigorous. Out of the original 1000 pre-applications, only 100 move on to the full-application. It requires a seemingly endless list of documents, including proof of income, tax returns, bank statements, birth certificates or green cards, all loan information and insurance information.
    All of this is reviewed and further scrutinized by Habitat’s Family Selection Committee. They also check the family background on seven other points ranging from employment and landlord references to running a lien check. After meeting requirements in every way, applicants are chosen by a vote before entering the program.
    “I get to see dreams come true,” Isaacs said, “but I also have to see dreams not come true.”
    Ubah and Omar persevered through the intensive process to become one of those 30 lucky families. They proved that they could be sound homeowners and follow through with the commitment required. Once accepted, their work was still far from over. Habitat for Humanity does not simply give away the homes they build.

Aris Cedeños hands the house keys to Omar Muse at the dedication.

     “Habitat for Humanity offers a hand up, not a hand out...” states the Habitat website.
    Unknown to most, families must complete 400 hours of “sweat equity” by working on their home, other Habitat homes, or working at the Habitat ReStore. Ubah and Omar were very dedicated to this. They both worked right alongside the scholars building their home, even during the days of unrelenting heat. Plus, they both contributed to other Habitat homes being built.
    “I feel Ubah and Omar were very grateful because they worked hard through the whole process.” said Governor’s Scholar Rebecca Black of Dawson Springs, who saw firsthand the work of the husband and wife.
    The kids, being under 16 years old, couldn’t contribute to the sweat equity hours, but they helped in their own way, creating thank you cards for the scholars and the leaders from both Habitat and the Governor’s Scholars Program.
    Habitat also requires families to attend classes that would give them the skills and know-how to  be responsible and efficient homeowners.
    “They have to go through budget classes, home maintenance classes, (and) neighborhood classes… about 125 to 150 hours,” said Sgro.
    Once it is built and the family closes on their home, normally about a year after an approved application, they begin making payments. The loan is a 20-year, interest free mortgage making it easier for the families to follow through on paying for the home. All of the payments they make will go straight to building a home for another Habitat family.
This seemingly never-ending process is what matched the Governor’s Scholars with a family that touched their hearts. The family felt they were being blessed by the experience when in fact the scholars were the ones being blessed.
“We wanted a family with younger children that (the scholars) could relate to,” said Aristófanes Cedeño, the Executive Director of the Governor’s Scholars Program. “We wanted a family that matched best to this group.”
The Muse family was a perfect fit.