Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing in St. Louis. This is accomplished by a comprehensive program that helps families who are determined to proactively better their lives by investing time and effort into actually building and owning a home. This is the hope that Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis builds in the hearts of many deserving people. Beyond our altruistic goals, Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis has a proven track record of fiscal responsibility, organizational efficiency, and non-profit management. The overarching goal is to aggressively keep up with the need for affordable housing. This goal is difficult and reliant upon funding from the private sector as Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis does not receive any financial assistance in building our homes from Habitat for Humanity International or United Way.

Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis believes that when we all work together towards a common goal, our community is strengthened. Contrary to popular belief, we do not give homes away; in fact, the opportunity to build and then purchase a home through Habitat Saint Louis is a journey which takes about 9-12 months and requires hard work and sacrifice. All of our homebuyers commit to a minimum of 350 hours of "sweat equity" volunteer service, working on the build site, in our ReStore, and taking required classes on finance, insurance and homeownership. All of our partner families take on a 30-year affordable mortgage in order to purchase a home they can call their own. In order to achieve our goals, we seek the volunteerism and support of our community. Each year, between 3,500 - 4,000 people volunteer their time to help build houses and staff our ReStore. We receive generous support from financial and in-kind contributors who donate resources to help with the considerable costs of building homes. Even after the ink has dried on the mortgage papers and a partner family has begun a new life in their home, Habitat Saint Louis maintains a connection to help them continue to succeed as build a better life. Our Family Services department provides advice, assistance and gatherings throughout the year to help our families continue to build a better life on the foundation they have created by becoming homeowners.

Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis invests in low-income, hardworking members of our community by simply giving them an opportunity to invest in themselves. We employ cutting edge construction techniques, management expertise and the knowledge base of the Habitat for Humanity International affiliate network to ensure that we are creating viable solutions to the affordable housing crisis in Saint Louis City and County. Habitat Saint Louis employs mission-driven professionals who experience and expertise helps us to make the most of the resources entrusted to us. Through their work and with the guidance of our Board of Directors, Habitat Saint Louis builds homes throughout our community which will stand the test of time. Our capability to take on such ambitious goals is largely dependent on the financial support and volunteerism of our community partners who share our vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis measures our success as each home is completed on schedule, partner families complete their sweat equity volunteer service and then take on a 30-year mortgage. Every low-income family who completes this process is one fewer family living under the stress created by substandard housing. In a recent survey of Habitat for Humanity affiliate homebuyers, partner families reported the following positive changes as the direct result of their improved housing situation: 97% Report an improvement in their family's quality of life. 92% Report feeling better about themselves since becoming a homeowner. 74% See an improvement in their family's overall health. 57% Choose to further their education. 53% Experience improved job opportunities. Securing safe, affordable, permanent housing creates life-changing opportunities for those who are willing to make a commitment to quite literally building a better life for themselves and their children.

Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis has built and rehabbed almost 400 affordable, sustainable houses in St. Louis City and County. These houses have become Home to more than 1,500 low-income men, women and children who now have greater socio-economic stability and the opportunity to create a brighter future. By empowering individual families, Habitat Saint Louis helps create a better economic reality for our entire community. Neighborhoods where we build see an increase in property values and often a decrease in crime. The tax base is strengthened through the increase in disposable income realized by families who are now living life they can afford. Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis is committed to the environment and sustainability. Our ReStore retail outlet has diverted 33,000 tons of usable building materials from landfills. All of our homes are built to LEED Platinum standards, making them both environmentally and economically more sustainable. We are proudly the first Habitat for Humanity affiliate to have received the EPA's Indoor airPlus designation. Habitat Saint Louis receives around 5,000 calls every year from people in our community who are at the end of their rope, searching for a way out of substandard and often dangerous housing situations. We wish we could help them all - but the economic reality is that we can only build as many houses as we can fund. Each year, we help between 16 - 20 families lift themselves out of poverty by building and then purchasing a home they can afford. We also provide resources for potential partner families who need help improving their credit score so that once they are wiling to commit to our program, they will qualify for a 30-year affordable mortgage. Ultimately, our success is inextricably linked to the investment made in our programs by individuals, ecumenical entities, and corporate partners who share our belief that everyone in the St. Louis community benefits when we all have a decent place to live.