While stunningly beautiful and impressively entertaining, calling the Vail Valley home can be hard when access to affordable housing is so difficult. With such limited space and an ever-increasing demand for places to live in the mountains of Colorado, the housing crisis places strain upon too many in the community, from the young students and teachers to the hardworking families desperately trying to make ends meet. Thankfully, Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley exists to serve the community and relieve some of this burden. In fact, the organization’s application for new homeowners is currently open until September 29, 2023.
Open to anyone who lives and works in Eagle County, Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley hopes to expand homeownership opportunities to vital locals that make up the backbone of this place. “We’re here to help. That’s our whole mission,” explains Elyse Howard, development director of Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley. Truly, the application process is encouraged to be collaborative with Habitat for Humanity, where the organization’s talented team can offer guidance, support and any assistance through the process. “We want everyone to apply,” Howard elaborates. “And it doesn’t have to be perfect the first time. There is a lot of grace around helping the applicants get [everything] in order.”
Whether assistance appears as aid for this current application cycle, advise to improve credit or simply support on a path to alternative housing stability, Habitat for Humanity offers it all. The organization hopes to cultivate an uplifting space to help people navigate housing insecurity, regardless of how the path may appear. For the current homeowner application process, Habitat offers the opportunity for individualized support and courses for improvement. “We provide each applicant with a road map to qualify for our homeownership program,” explains Howard, “[which] may include a plan for their credit and/or debt, income and status within the country.”
As daunting as it may seem, Habitat for Humanity hopes to alleviate any fears surrounding the application process. “Our goal as an office is to help families qualify for this opportunity,” says Howard. Those who do not qualify the first time are able to work with Habitat to reapply and qualify in subsequent years. “Applicants learn what they have to do to qualify, they improve their credit, make other necessary changes and come back and qualify the following year,” shares Howard. “Some changes may [even] be achievable within the application cycle.”
Habitat’s impact upon the community does not stop at this application process. As an organization in the Valley, Habitat adds countless financing resources, family connections and partnership opportunities to the area. For instance, Habitat’s robust family support program offers counseling to any first-time home buyers and provides self-financing to those chosen to partner with the organization. “We issue a zero-interest loan to each of our homeowners which makes it a lot more affordable,” Howard explains. Habitat maintains these connections with homeowners, beginning with their initial applications and staying in touch long after qualifying for their own home. “Difficult things pop up in life, and it’s nice that [Habitat homeowners] have that trust with the organization,” says Howard.
Additionally, Habitat Vail Valley connects with many local businesses and volunteers, whose support and donations are imperative to the organization’s goals and allows the nonprofit to continue their work at the lowest costs to their audience. “We work really closely with the community,” adds Howard. In addition to a resource and support center, “[Habitat] is also an outlet for the community to donate.” Discounted and donated building materials, carpentry services, landscaping work and so forth given to Habitat for Humanity directly benefits Vail Valley locals searching for a place to call their own. “[Habitat] is here to serve the community,” explains Howard. And yet it is made possible by the amazingly generous support of the community.
For more information on the Homeowner application requirements and steps, visit habitatvailvalley.org/homeownership/application-process.