New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, founded in 1983, builds affordable homes across five parishes and became the city's largest homebuilder after Hurricane Katrina. It created the Musicians Village in the Upper Ninth Ward and runs a home repair program and a ReStore. Here is how to qualify, what is involved, and how to help.
Families buy a Habitat home with a monthly payment, covering principal, taxes, insurance, and an annual termite contract, that never exceeds 30 percent of their income. The affiliate works with families to obtain a mortgage through preferred lenders, so the rate is set by the lender rather than being a fixed Habitat figure.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Income | Household income no more than 60 percent of area median income; a minimum of about $37,740 a year for a one-person household, scaling up by household size. Social Security, disability, and similar income count. |
| Residency | Live in the five-parish service area and not have owned a home for at least three years. |
| Income history | At least two years of stable income. |
| Credit and debt | Less than $2,000 in past-due collections and less than $10,000 in total debt, with judgments paid and bankruptcy discharged. |
| Escrow | Save $150 a month in escrow during the partnership, due at closing. |
| Sweat equity | 50 hours before selecting a lot, and 250 total hours in place of a down payment. |
The path from selection to move-in typically takes 18 months to two years.
Applications open when intake is available, currently through the Rising Oaks Homebuyer Program. You can call Family Services at (504) 609-3340 or submit the online homebuyer inquiry.
The process includes a background check, credit review, and income verification before approval.
The Musicians Village is the affiliate's best-known project. Conceived with New Orleans natives Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr. after Katrina, it added 69 brightly painted single-family homes in the Upper Ninth Ward to house the city's musicians, anchored by the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, which opened in 2012.
Its A Brush With Kindness program handles health and safety repairs for owner-occupants at or below 80 percent of area median income. The ReStore at 2900 Elysian Fields Avenue, with an online store as well, sells donated furniture, appliances, and building materials, takes drop-off donations, and offers free residential pickup.
Volunteers can work on a build site at 16, with restrictions for those 16 and 17 and an adult required for minors, and you register through the volunteer portal. Donating money, shopping or donating at the ReStore, and joining a build are the main ways to help.
The affiliate has built more than 800 homes and was the city's largest homebuilder after Katrina, accounting for roughly 9 percent of residential permits by 2007. It holds a four-star rating from Charity Navigator with a 98 percent score. Its EIN for tax-deductible gifts is 72-0973161.
Affordable homes across five parishes, payment capped at 30% of income.
69 homes for musicians, anchored by the Ellis Marsalis Center.
Health and safety repairs for owners at or below 80% AMI.
A New Orleans store and online shop selling donated goods.
A legacy of large-scale rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.
Build days for individuals and groups.
Sources: New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (habitat-nola.org) homeownership, home-repair, and ReStore pages; the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music; Charity Navigator (EIN 72-0973161). Mortgages are arranged through preferred lenders, so the rate is not a fixed Habitat figure. Retrieved June 2026. We are not affiliated with New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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