Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, HFHSECT builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner (partner) families. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest loans. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments become a modest annual income stream to build still more Habitat houses.

Habitat is not a giveaway program. In addition to a down payment and the monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor -- sweat equity -- into building their Habitat house and the houses of others. From the time of acceptance into the Habitat program through the first year of homeownership, partner families are matched with a volunteer from the Partnership committee as a mentor to empower them and prepare them for the responsibilities and rewards of homeownership. Sweat equity also includes partner families’ participation in workshops as the basis for their pre-purchase and postpurchase counseling program. Financial literacy is a critical component of the pre-purchase counseling and successful homeownership.