Mission & Vision

Harbor Habitat for Humanity is a Christian non-profit housing ministry that seeks to eliminate substandard housing in Benton Harbor and Benton Charter Township by engaging the community and partnering with families to provide them with a safe, decent, and affordable place to live.  In order to make homes affordable to low-income families, we seek and encourage the support of volunteers to build each house. Houses are sold at no profit with a long-term, interest-free mortgage. Monthly mortgage payments are used to finance additional Habitat homes.

Harbor Habitat builds more than houses, we build partnerships; partnerships with individuals and families, businesses and neighborhoods, the skilled trade-person as well as the novice volunteer. These partnerships are the foundation for lasting relationships and strengthened communities. Harbor Habitat enables people throughout the Benton Harbor community – both city and suburban, to volunteer and work together with a shared goal: to create an opportunity for a hardworking and deserving family.

A Hand Up, Not a Hand Out

Harbor Habitat provides a "hand up," not a "hand out" to families in need. We offer our partner families an opportunity to help themselves own a decent, affordable home of their own.

An essential element of our program is the volunteer labor – “sweat equity” – that each partner family invests. All families are required to fulfill 300 sweat equity hours divided among the construction of their home, the homes of others, attendance of informative workshops and educational sessions all designed to prepare them for successful homeownership. By including themselves in the building process, homeowners gain self-reliance, self-esteem and new skills.