Pensacola Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, ecumenical, Christian ministry whose purpose is to build homes and improve communities in partnership with modest to moderate income families in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties. Pensacola Habitat for Humanity is not a giveaway program. Through the use of donations, in-kind gifts and volunteer labor Pensacola Habitat builds homes for families in our community. Houses built by Pensacola Habitat are made a reality by collaborating with partner families who contribute 200 hours of their own labor known as "sweat equity". By contributing sweat equity hours, homeowners are vested in their home and neighborhood as they enjoy the tangible results of teamwork. Our homeowners are just that, home owners. We help our homeowners break down the barriers to homeownership, familiarizing them with the home buying process. Just like all homeowners, they put in their own money toward a down payment and closing costs, they pay a mortgage, and maintain all the responsibilities that come with their first home including paying their own insurance and taxes. But even more, our homeowners attend homeowner readiness courses that empower and help them learn the skills necessary for successful homeownership such as home maintenance, budgeting, and repair. Our homeowners go further by investing their “sweat equity” into physically building their own homes—and contributing toward the construction of others’. We believe better prepared homeowners create better citizens, and more engaged neighbors. This is how we’re building up communities, one homeowner at a time.