There are many ways of financing your new home. If you show a significant level of need and fall below the poverty line in your area, Habitat for Humanity may be one of those ways. This interactive home financing option offsets some of the income requirements for a home loan with a certain amount of “sweat equity.” This refers to hands-on time spent actually constructing your new home, as well as the homes of other qualifying individuals and families.Habitat for Humanity is an international organization with offices in five different regions: United States-Canada, Africa-the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Europe-Central Asia, and Latin America-the Caribbean. Founders Millard and Linda Fuller began the service on a local level in Americus, Georgia in 1967, centered on the farming intentional community known as Koinonia Partners. Millard Fuller was a self-made millionaire who gave up his wealth to concentrate on the tenets of Christian service. While Christianity played a large role in the development of the foundation, Habitat for Humanity provides housing options for people of every religion and race.One of the biggest benefits for Habitat homeowners in the United States is that they pay no interest on their mortgages. In addition, if a homeowner decides to sell their Habit home during the period of the mortgage, the local Habitat affiliate has the option to buy the home back at a price equal to the homeowner’s equity. Many of the homes built in the United States are LEED certified, meaning they comply with the certification system’s framework of green practices. The materials for the construction of the home are “locally appropriate,” and Habitat offices around the world experiment with new energy-saving techniques. Habitat for Humanity Tajikistan instituted a bio-sand water filter project that earned a Global Energy Award in 2010.Habitat homes are partially financed by funds from other affiliates (overseas) or from Habitat Restores (United States and Canada). Restores sell donated building and housing materials, often covering all of the administrative costs of the local affiliate, leaving donations free for home construction projects.Whether you’re eligible for a Habitat home or not, there are ways for you to get involved. Apart from donations, everybody ages 5 and up can contribute in some way to the Habitat mission. However, only those over 16 years old are allowed to be on an active construction site, and you must be 18 to participate in certain construction projects. Younger children can help to raise funds in their community to finance their local affiliate’s new homes.