Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity's Mission

The overwhelming need for housing in Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes has provided us with the opportunity to change lives in our neighborhoods. In our market, Habitat for Humanity is one of the only-affordable homeownership programs that serves families earning less than 50% of income. Cost burden and overcrowding are the most serious problems experienced by many residents. Working with volunteers, families, corporations, congregations, and donors we able to address important housing issues throughout Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes. We are dedicated to making homeownership possible for low-income, working families.

We offer a hand up, not a hand out. We do not give away our houses. We require our Habitat families to invest "sweat equity" hours to help build their home and they must each qualify for a 0% interest loan.

Since 1996, we have built houses in neighborhoods across Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes for basic human need, and Habitat strives to achieve its goal of eliminating poverty housing and making affordable homes a reality for all families.

Our Mission Statement

Under the guidance of God, Bayou Area Habitat's mission is to bring together the resources within the community- the businesses, volunteers, churches and the government--working together to provide decent, affordable housing in partnership with families in need in Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes.

History

Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity is one of over 1,600 Habitat for Humanity affiliates. BAHFH is working in partnership with families in need in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes to improve the conditions in which they live.

Bayou Area Habitat was started in 1996 by a small group of people in Thibodaux who wanted to do something good for the community. Today, BAHFH is making a significant impact in our community by providing simple decent homes for over 100 families in our area as of December 2007.

Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner/partnerfamliles. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest loans. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments are used to build more Habitat houses.

Habitat is not a giveaway program. In addition to a down payment and the monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest hours of labor- sweat equity- into building their Habitat houses and the houses of others.

Throughout the world, the cost of houses varies from as little as $800 in some developing countries to an averarge of $60,000 in the United States. Habitat houses are affordable for low-income families because there is no profit included in the sale price and no interest charged on the mortgage. Mortgage length varies from seven to 30 years.

Since 1996, Bayou Area Habitat has built over 100 houses- provided decent, affordable housing for families in the Lafourche/Terrebonne area.