APPLICATION GUIDE Where can I get help? If someone is helping you complete your application, such as a support worker with a community or social service agency, please provide their contact information and indicate whether or not we may contact them if necessary. If you have questions about the application, please call 403-253-9331 extension 267. Leave a message, clearly stating your name and a phone number where you can be reached during the day and a member of the Family Selection Committee will return your call as soon as possible to assist you. You can also email questions to familyservices@habitatsouthernab.ca Who can apply? The applicant and co-applicant (if applicable) must be at least 18 years of age. Your family must meet the following criteria to qualify for a home: 1) You must be currently living in need: a. Your current living conditions are unsafe or unhealthy. b. Your family is overcrowded (i.e. three or more people share a bedroom). c. You are currently spending more than 30% of your family s gross income on rent. 2) You must be able to repay a mortgage: a. Your family s total gross income must be within the following range for the size of your family: b. The applicant must not be on social assistance (Alberta Works) or on Employment Insurance. c. Both applicant and co-applicant must have good credit and not a lot of debt. d. Each member of your household must be a Canadian Citizen or legal permanent resident. e. The applicant and co-applicant must have lived in Calgary (or area) for a minimum of two years. f. At least one of the applicant or co-applicant must have a stable two year verifiable work history. 1 P a g e
3) You must be willing to partner with Habitat for Humanity Southern Alberta: a. Your family must volunteer 500 hours to Habitat Southern Alberta within a year of being approved. b. You must respond to Habitat Southern Alberta in a timely manner. c. You must be willing to help promote Habitat. How do I fill out my application? Complete ALL sections of the application. Carefully review the Document Checklist. You must send all required documents. We cannot process your application until we have received all the required documents. Make sure you have photocopies of each document required. DO NOT send original documents. iginal documents will not be returned. You may attach ALL documents when filling out the online application. How long will I have to wait? On average, it can take up to four months before a decision is made. The more complete your application is when you send it in, the less time it will take. What else should I know before I apply? We will contact you by email if we require more information. If you move while your application is being processed, you must notify us immediately. Habitat homeowners are not permitted to rent out any portion of the home or operate a business from the home unless permission is given. 2 P a g e
Refer to the information below as you complete each section of the application: APPLICATION PAGE 1 APPLICANT/CO-APPLICANT INFORMATION APPLICANT S INFORMATION The applicant, co-applicant and all members of the household must be a Canadian Citizen or legal permanent resident. You MUST provide proof of citizenship or permanent residency for everyone in the family listed in this application. Acceptable documents are listed in Section A of the attached checklist. The applicant will be used as the primary contact and all correspondence will be sent to this person at the email address provided. The applicant is the main income earner. If the applicant has a spouse or common-law partner, they must be listed as the co-applicant even if they have no income. If the applicant or co-applicant was previously married or in a common-law relationship, we REQUIRE proof of divorce or legal separation. You are not eligible to apply for the program if you are not officially divorced or legally separated. CO-APPLICANT S INFORMATION In the case of a single-parent family, the co-applicant could be a parent or legal-age child. The applicant and co-applicant are responsible for the mortgage. The co-applicant is required to submit all documents required from the main applicant, except for documents with both their names (i.e. lease agreement, joint account statements). If the applicant has a spouse or common-law partner, they must be listed as co-applicant even if they have no income. OTHER HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS APPLICATION PAGE 2 HOUSEHOLD INFORMATION List ALL other people who currently live in your home and who will be living with you in your Habitat home. This could include children, siblings, parents, other relatives, etc. A Habitat home is assigned based on the size of your family at the time you apply and the number of bedrooms you require. This may not include children 18 years old and above. Children of the same gender who are within a few years of age of each other will share a bedroom. Children of different genders will get separate bedrooms. No more than two people will share a bedroom. A dependent is anyone who lives with you for whom you have legal responsibility, such as your children. Proof of status in Canada must be provided for each member listed in this section. Acceptable documentation is listed in Section A of the attached checklist. If any of the other members of your household are employed, you will have to provide income information for each person (paystubs and letter of employment). 3 P a g e
APPLICATION PAGE 3 ECONOMIC PROFILE FINANCIAL HISTORY ASSETS If you and/or your co-applicant have had a bankruptcy, it must have been discharged at least three years prior to your application and you must have a good credit record since then. You must submit a copy of the discharge document for any bankruptcy. You must declare the assets your family currently has, including bank account balances, savings, investments, real estate, etc. Please provide the most recent two months of statements for all chequing and savings bank accounts. Bank statements MUST show the account holder s name(s). If there are two or more accounts for each type of asset, enter the names of all account holders and the total current balance on all accounts and the minimum monthly payments NOTE: This section MUST be completed, otherwise your application will not be considered. If you do not have assets or financial accounts to report, enter 0 DEBTS A debt is the total balance owing on all credit cards, car loans, student loans, lines of credit, etc. Both the applicant and co-applicant are responsible for the financial profile of the family. If either have large debts that were part of a joint account with another person (e.g. ex-husband/wife), this will show up on the credit report and affect the application and it is up to the applicant or co- applicant to correct the problem. If there are two or more accounts for each type of debt, enter the names of all account holders and the total current balance on all accounts. You must also submit copies of your current credit card statements. 4 P a g e
APPLICATION PAGE 4 EMPLOYMENT/INCOME SOURCE INFORMATION IMPORTANT: Please follow the instructions on how to enter past employment in the online application. As we review your employment situation for the past two years, it is important that you report previous jobs if you have been in your current job for less than two years. Your family s total gross monthly income includes salary, tips, overtime, shift premiums, bonuses, child tax benefits, support payments, disability benefits, pension, AISH or RRSP income. Any income for anyone living in the home will be considered part of the total family income. Either the applicant or co-applicant must show a stable, Canadian income history of at least two years. A letter from the employer(s) of anyone in the family who is working must be provided, confirming the start date, status (e.g. full-time or part-time, permanent or seasonal), salary or hourly wage, and the number of hours worked per week. Please refer to Section B of the attached checklist. The two most recent pay stubs which show gross and year-to-date pay for anyone in the home who is working. If you are self-employed, please provide your company s most recent income tax return. If your job is contract or seasonal (e.g. you work only 10 months of the year) and you collect Employment Insurance for the balance of the year, you still need to show consistent, stable employment over the last two years. If this is your case, your T4 for the past two years will be helpful. Your gross income will be a deciding factor. If you work two part-time jobs, you are still eligible to apply. Provide information on both jobs under Employment #1 and Employment #2 and include letters from both employers and paystubs for both jobs. If you have not been in the same job for the last two years, you must provide documentation of previous employment. Acceptable documents include Record of Employment (ROE) which is given to you when you leave a job, or your T4 slip for that job. If you (main applicant) do not work and receive Social Welfare Assistance from Alberta Works or Employment Insurance, you are NOT eligible to apply. If you do work but also receive top-up allowance from Alberta Works as a supplement to your income, you may apply if the amount is less than 25% of your family s gross income. If you (main applicant) are on Maternity or Parental Leave and receive Employment Insurance, wait until you return to work to submit your application. For permanent household members who are not co-applicants, we need information regarding their length of residence and contributions to the income of the household. Please attach a separate sheet and explain. If someone in your home is on AISH, you must provide copies of the two most recent statements. You must provide copies of the most current statements for all applicable child tax benefits, child or spousal support statements, or any other source of income for anyone in your household. You must provide the most current Notice of Assessment for all family members. If the co-applicant does not work, a Notice of Assessment must still be provided. The Canadian government requires all citizens to file an income tax form even if they do not have any income. They will issue a nil Notice of Assessment. If your children or other dependents have worked they are required to file an income tax return and will receive a Notice of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency; this should be included with your application. If you have parents or other relatives who live with you and they collect pension or RRSP income, their income must be included as part of the total family income and the most current statements must be provided. Any changes to your income while your application is being processed should be reported promptly to Habitat. The new income will reviewed in terms of the current criteria. 5 P a g e
APPLICATION PAGE 6 HOMEOWNERSHIP GOALS If you currently own or have previously owned real estate, you must provide details including location, type of real estate, and date and reason it was sold (if applicable). APPLICATION PAGE 7 PERSONAL STATEMENT In the space provided, state why you should be selected as a Habitat homeowner. Tell us a bit about your family s personal story and what has brought you to apply to Habitat, and why you feel you would make a great Habitat partner. APPLICATION PAGE 8 REFERENCES References are people who have known you for a considerable period of time but are not related to you in any way (birth or marriage). One reference should be either your landlord or an employment reference. Be sure to ask their permission first. You may also submit written letters of reference. Ideally, the reference should know both the applicant and co-applicant. You MUST provide at least three personal references or your application will NOT be considered. COLLECTION, USE AND DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY!! After submitting the application, you will receive an email with a link to the Authorization and Release form and your family ID. Please print this form, sign it and include it with your application. Both applicant and co-applicant must sign and date this form to confirm that both parties understand and agree to the terms under this section. Make sure to enter your Family ID in the appropriate field. This form MUST be submitted in order for your application to be processed. 6 P a g e
How do I send in my supporting documents? By mail to: Habitat for Humanity Attention: Family Services 210 810 Manning Road NE Calgary AB T2E 7M8 OR Drop off at the drop box located outside our office building OR Email to: familyservices@habitatsouthernab.ca DO NOT fax your documents as it is not a safe way to send sensitive and personal information 7 P a g e
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THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS MUST BE INCLUDED FOR BOTH THE APPLICANT AND CO-APPLICANT A. Proof of eligibility to work and reside in Canada for ALL family members APPLICANT CO-APPLICANT OTHER MEMBERS A1. Canadian Citizenship; OR A2. Birth certificate if born in Canada; OR A3. Permanent Resident card (photocopy both sides) B. Financial Information (Please refer to page 4 and 5 of the application guide) B1. Most recent two months of bank statements for ALL accounts (see page 4 of the application guide) B2. Statement of amounts owing on every credit card and loan (see page 4 of the application guide) B3. Your most recent Tax Notice of Assessment from CRA B4. Assessment of Canada Child Benefit from CRA B5. Proof of child or spousal support B6. Information about income from any other person living in your household B7. Statement of Social Assistance Income, if applicable B8. Statement of any pension you receive B8. Discharge papers if you have declared bankruptcy within the last 10 years C. Employment Information (Please refer to page 5 of the application guide) C1. Letter from your employer that includes ALL of the following information: Current earnings How many hours per week you work How long you have worked there Whether you are full-time or part-time Whether you are permanent or seasonal Family Services 210, 805 Manning Road NE Calgary, Alberta T2E 7M8 T. 403.253.9331 F. 403.253.9335 E. familyservices@habitatsouthernab.ca W. www.habitatsouthernab.ca
AND AND AND AND C2. Two most recent pay stubs If employed for less than two years in current job or a seasonal worker, provide T4 or ROE from past employment If self-employed, provide your company s most recent tax return D. Rental Information D1. Letter from your landlord stating your current rent; OR D2. Cancelled cheque; OR D3. Bank statement showing the current rent and payee s name; OR D4. Copy of your lease agreement E. Other Required Information E1. Divorce papers; OR E2. Legal separation agreement OR OR OR E3. Signed authorization and release form SUBMIT DOCUMENTS TO: By mail: Habitat for Humanity Southern Alberta Family Services 210, 805 Manning Road NE Calgary, AB T2E 7M8 By Email: familyservices@habitatsouthernab.ca By fax: 403-253-9335 Attention: Family Services PLEASE NOTE: HFHSA does not maintain waiting lists. Any family who does not meet the criteria or is eliminated will be sent a letter. Family Services 210, 805 Manning Road NE Calgary, Alberta T2E 7M8 T. 403.253.9331 F. 403.253.9335 E. familyservices@habitatsouthernab.ca W. www.habitatsouthernab.ca