Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia, which marked 40 years in 2025, builds and rehabs homes across the city and runs one of the larger free home repair programs among Habitat affiliates. It sells homes with a 30-year mortgage. Here is how to qualify, what is involved, and how to help.
Habitat builds new homes or rehabs existing ones and sells them to partner families with a 30-year mortgage, with the payment set to the buyer's income and Habitat providing subsidies or a second mortgage to bridge affordability. The affiliate's own pages do not state a specific interest rate.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Income | Up to 80 percent of area median income, within a roughly 30 to 80 percent band; for a family of four the maximum is about $95,500. |
| Age | At least 18 years old. |
| Income history | Verifiable income from the past two years. |
| Credit and debt | A history of reliable payments, no bankruptcy in the past two years, and debt-to-income below 36 percent. |
| Prior Habitat home | Never previously purchased a Habitat home; household of no more than eight. |
| Sweat equity | A minimum of 125 hours, plus monthly workshops, counseling, and saving over about eight months. |
The affiliate serves the city of Philadelphia.
Applying runs through a virtual information session held during open application periods, an online screening form, a full application with documents and a credit and background check, sometimes an interview, and a rolling decision with limited spots.
Completing the program takes about 8 to 12 months before purchase, and cycles open based on the construction schedule, so joining the mailing list is the way to be notified.
The free Critical Home Repair program is a major part of the affiliate's work, providing critical repairs at no cost to income-qualified current Philadelphia homeowners; it has repaired more than 1,000 homes over time. The ReStore at 2318 Washington Avenue sells donated furniture, electronics, and building materials, with drop-off donations and scheduled pickup.
Habitat Philadelphia also runs a paid Carpentry Fellowship, a living-wage workforce-training program launched in 2024, and develops new homes through projects such as Pope Leo Village.
Volunteers can work on a build site at 16, with limits on tools and heights for those 16 and 17, and no construction experience is needed. Donating money, shopping or donating at the ReStore, and joining a build are the main ways to help.
Habitat Philadelphia holds a four-star rating from Charity Navigator with a 98 percent score and a perfect accountability and finance score, and a recent gift is funding new homes in West Philadelphia. Its EIN for tax-deductible gifts is 42-1580163.
New and rehabbed homes sold with a 30-year mortgage and down-payment help.
No-cost critical repairs for income-qualified city homeowners.
A Washington Avenue store selling donated goods, with pickup.
A paid, living-wage workforce-training program since 2024.
A development building new homes for families.
Workshops and counseling for future homeowners.
Sources: Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia (habitatphiladelphia.org) homeownership, screening, home-repair, ReStore, and impact pages; Charity Navigator (EIN 42-1580163). The affiliate's own pages do not state a mortgage interest rate. Retrieved June 2026. We are not affiliated with Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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