Habitat for Humanity Maryland is a nonprofit housing organization made up of 17 autonomous local affiliates, as they are called, chartered by Habitat for Humanity International of Atlanta, GA,  within the state of Maryland. Habitat for Humanity International, and all local affiliates are 501(c) (3) nonprofit organizations. Habitat for Humanity is one of the nation's leading homebuilders providing homeownership opportunities to low-income families unable to qualify for traditional mortgage programs. In 2008 Habitat for Humanity was listed as the 11th largest homebuilder in the United States by Homebuilders magazine.  Habitat for Humanity operates on the following principles:

• Homes are primarily funded by contributions of money and in-kind donations.
• Homes are built primarily with volunteer labor and the "sweat equity" of the homeowner. Families contribute up to 500 volunteer hours of labor on their own and other Habitat homeowners' homes.
• Habitat sells the homes at no profit and offers a zero-interest 20- to 30-year mortgage on the home. Payments from the homeowners are placed in a local Fund for Humanity that is used to build more homes.
• Habitat partners with families based on three criteria: their need, their willingness to partner and their ability to repay the no-profit, zero-interest loans. In addition, some affiliates have a service area residency requirement.
  One of our favorite speakers within the organization often comments that what we do at Habitat really shouldn't work. Why shouldn't it work?

  

  • It shouldn't work because what we do flies in the face of capitalism. We are one of the nation's leading homebuilders, but we do not make a profit. The building industry shouldn't like us, but they do. In fact, a large number of builders and manufacturers partnered with us to complete nearly 500 houses in one week across the nation during Home Builders Blitz 2006 - an event unprecedented in the history of affordable housing production in the United States.
  • It shouldn't work because we use unskilled volunteers with little or no construction experience. However, Habitat houses have repeatedly withstood the ravages of time and the environment. After a series of devastating tornados struck the east coast in 2003, Habitat houses were left standing when others were not. Maybe this is because our volunteers don't realize that joints don't need five nails. Or, maybe it just shows the pride that our volunteers take in their work.
  • It shouldn't work because we say "yes" when others say "no." We work with families who don't qualify for a conventional mortgage. We partner with these hard-working individuals to give them a hand up, not a handout. And we do it with one of the lowest foreclosure rates in the nation, significantly less than 1 percent.
  
  It really shouldn't work. And, yet, it does.