On Friday, July 8th, the Bryan/College Station Habitat for Humanity invited six families to the Algur H. Meadows Education building behind their main office on Lake Street in Bryan under the guise that they had some additional paperwork to complete in their applications to partner with the BCS Habitat affiliate to become homeowners. Little did they know, they were about to get some exciting news for their families and their futures. Check out the video here.

As the families gathered and took their seats, Director of Family Services, Jennifer Cruz, made the announcement that they had been accepted in the BCS Habitat for Humanity partner family program.  Surrounding BCS Habitat and BCS Habitat ReStore staff clapped and welcomed the families to the program, distributing traditional acceptance gifts, a calculator and a hammer, as well as a certificate of acceptance. The calculator symbolizes the families’ start of the financial understanding of the program through their workshop classes on budgeting and homeownership. The hammer represents the work the families will put towards their new homes and helping others as they begin their sweat equity hours.

The impact the BCS Habitat has on the families is apparent with this group of new partner families; four of the six families have relatives who are current Habitat homeowners. We are excited to have all six families partner with the Bryan/College Station Habitat and look forward to sharing more with you about their stories and how they are working towards homeownership through the Habitat partner family program.

Six New Families for Bryan/College Station Habitat for Humanity

Pictured above the six families accepted on July 8th (left to right) Edward Washington, Jr & Edward Washington, Sr., Miguel Tovar and Leticia Ruiz with children , Margie Brown with children, Maria Navarro and Juan Carlos Almaras with daughter, Guillermo Garcia and Maria Tovar and Children, and Miguel Tovar and Leticia Ruiz and children.

To qualify as a partner family, families must meet three criteria:

  • A need – partner families fall between 35-68% of the area’s average median family income and are in homes that are inadequate due to disrepair or overcrowding.
  • An ability to pay – families do not receive free homes. Habitat homes are sold to families at cost and families must have good credit and have the ability to pay their mortgages.
  • The willingness to partner – partner families complete 500 sweat equity hours including assisting with the construction of their home and other families, assisting in the office, and the ReStore. They also attend 12 classes on topics such as budgeting, home maintenance, and fire safety.

If you’re interested in finding out more about becoming a Habitat Homeowner, mark your calendars for our next informational meetings:

English
Friday,  September 2nd – 6 p.m.
Saturday, September 3rd, – 9 a.m. & 10 a.m.

Spanish
Friday, September 2nd – 7 p.m.
Saturday, September 3rd, 11 a.m.

All informational meetings will be held in the Education building at 119 Lake St at the corner of Cavitt.

If you have questions about becoming a Habitat homeowner, please contact Director of Family Services, Jennifer Cruz, at 979-823-7200 x101 or familyprograms@habitatbcs.org.

We are still looking for home sponsors for several of these families, if you would like more information on how you can help families, such as these get a hand up out of substandard housing, please contact Director of Development, Carl Orozco at 979-823-7200 x104 or development@habitatbcs.org.