On Saturday, June 20, 9:30 a.m. to noon, Habitat for Humanity/7 Rivers Maine will offer the public an opportunity to hear more about what qualifies a family to become a Habitat homeowner.

The meeting will be held at Brunswick High School, 116 Maquoit Road. The public will receive a full introduction to Habitat’s mission, the four-home Hope Lane subdivision off Harpswell Road in Brunswick, the Family Services support system, and the process to become a prospective Habitat homeowner.

Members of Family Services will be at the meeting to assist in completing an initial prescreening. Should a family pass the initial prescreening, a credit check authorization fee ($20 single/$25 joint) will move their file forward.

Applicants must currently live or work in Sagadahoc or Lincoln counties or the towns of Brunswick or Harpswell. They must earn less than 80 percent of the area median income (e.g. $57,850 for a family of four in Brunswick) and currently live in substandard housing.

Once qualified, each adult in the household must also be willing to contribute 200 hours of sweat equity per adult toward the building of a Habitat house, volunteering on other Habitat projects, or working in the Habitat ReStore now located at 126 Main Street in Topsham.

Habitat’s houses are built with contributions of funds and materials from the community and volunteer labor. They are Energy Star-certified making them extremely energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

The homes are sold for the cost of materials and professional labor only, and are financed with a very low interest mortgage in order to keep them affordable for those who cannot otherwise own a home. Habitat is estimating that the monthly mortgage including utilities to be in the range of $750.

Anyone interested in attending this information meeting can reserve a seat by contacting Michele at the Habitat office at 207-504-9335 or michele@habitat7rivers.org. Habitat for Humanity/7 Rivers Maine creates successful homeownership opportunities for families with limited incomes by building sustainable housing and repairing and weatherizing existing homes.