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Homeowner Education & Training

The Family Services team at Habitat for Humanity stands by the phrase “education is the key to success.” The thought of homeownership is overwhelming for many first time homebuyers, especially new Habitat homeowners who have usually only rented in the past.

Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat is constantly working to expand homeowner education classes and workshops in order to provide upcoming Habitat homeowners with all the tools they need to be prepared for owning their own home.

Habitat’s Family Services staff and volunteers help prepare homeowners in advance through a series of classes and workshops which families are required to attend in order to complete their sweat equity.

Annual Classes

• Good Neighbor
  • Workshop that stresses the importance of… being a good neighbor!  The workshop reviews what it means to be a good neighbor, the importance of maintaining and having pride in the appearance of your home, and some conflict resolution practices.  Families are divided into groups and given scenarios of different neighborhood situations so they can brainstorm possible ways to deal with those situations.
• Health & Home Safety
• For our 2008 Home Safety workshop, we had a variety of community agencies attend to present about many different topics ranging from fire safety to disaster preparedness.  The 2009 workshop will take place this winter, and we are planning on expanding the topics so it will be the Health and Home Safety workshop.  There will be a larger variety of topics covered, a larger number of community agencies represented, and there will also be parallel children’s presentations.  Watch for more details…!

Community Resource Classes (offered monthly)

• FISC “Power of Money”
• This four-week workshop has the power to change the way families and individuals think about and deal with money. It helps to reduce worry and stress. Families and individuals learn proven techniques to pay off their debt and build savings. They leave the workshop with their own plan to meet their short-term and long-term financial goals. They learn simple, proven techniques that save thousands of dollars and offer financial peace of mind. The workshop includes understanding the emotions of money, tracking to find out where money is really going, and how to communicate with your spouse and agree on your financial priorities. 

Quarterly Education Classes (offered after families are approved)

• New Family Meeting
• The New Family Meeting serves as an orientation to Habitat for Humanity for newly approved families.  They are introduced to the Family Binder, policies, procedures and the basics of Habitat for Humanity.  Ideally, this meeting also serves as the first meeting between a family and their family partner.
• Mission & Partnering
• Mission and Partnering introduces families to Habitat’s mission and the importance of partnership to our organization.  A variety of guest speakers (volunteers and homeowners) attend this workshop to talk about their own experiences with Habitat to give the families a real example of the importance of partnership.  Without partnership, our organization could not exist the way it does today!
• Mortgage I
• Mortgage I introduces future Habitat homeowners to the Habitat mortgage structure.  This workshop is intended to help Habitat families understand their future mortgage, its comparison to a conventional mortgage and the financial obligations that come with homeownership.
• PR 101
  • This class engages homeowners into the public relations aspect of being partnered with Habitat for Humanity. Homeowners will learn why publicity is important to Habitat, how to answer questions from the media, as well as have the opportunity to share their story in becoming a new homeowner through Habitat for Humanity.

Semi-annual Classes (offered Late Fall & Late Winter)

• Financial Peace University
  • Financial Peace University (FPU) is a 13-week program that teaches families and individuals to achieve their financial goals by eliminating debt and saving for the future. Families and individuals are challenged and motivated to make a plan for their money and change their family financial situation in a positive way.
• Landscaping
  • Landscaping  is  a  collaborative  workshop  between Habitat  and  VandeHey’s  Landscaping.   The  bulk  of the  workshop  consists  of  a  representative  from VandeHey’s  speaking  to  our  homeowners  about lawn  care  and  maintenance,  gardening  and  other various  topics  related  to  landscaping.
• Mortgage II
  • Mortgage II is a workshop that is designed to walk the homeowner through the closing process.  The homeowner is introduced to every document that they will see at their closing to ensure that they fully understand the documents that they are signing.  They also will work with the Family Services Coordinator to calculate what their own mortgage will look like.
• Moving & Dedication
  • Moving & Dedication is a workshop that is all about planning the big move and dedication ceremony.  Homeowners receive information on different moving options, tasks they should complete before they move, and various other topics related to moving.  They also receive information about their dedication ceremony, how to plan the ceremony and what they should expect.
• Green Living
  • Green Living is a workshop that was designed by our construction staff to educate our homeowners on green living practices.  It covers topics ranging from recycling, to energy efficiency, to water conservation.  This workshop gives our homeowners useful tips to reduce their “global footprint” while at the same time reducing their own energy costs.