Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities
with Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity builds new homes and renovates older homes, then sells them at cost, with a 0% interest mortgage to low-income families in need. Each family contributes 500 hours of “sweat equity” – time spent hard at work with volunteers framing, wiring, painting, or landscaping their home. Eligible families must demonstrate financial and housing need, willingness to partner with Habitat to work 500 hours, and capacity to repay the no-interest loan over time.

Habitat volunteers and families build new homes or renovated homes in the Lancaster City area. Habitat has also built or renovated homes in Ephrata, Elizabethtown, Quarryville, Columbia, Denver, and Lancaster.

Everyone has the right to live in a safe, decent home. Today, over 10,000 families are in need of a safe, affordable place to live in Lancaster County. Below is a list of current volunteer opportunities that Habitat for Humanity needs the most. 

Skilled Weekday Volunteers – Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 8am – 4pm

Skills Needed: Carpentry, Finish Carpentry, Drywall Hanging, Electrical, Framing, Hanging Aluminum Siding, Painting, and Concrete

• Build quality, durable homes in partnership with low income families in need
• Reduce costs of subcontracted services and ensure affordability for the family
• Build community and reduce neighborhood blight

Family Partnership Committee Members – One Evening a Month

The partnership committee member will be partnered with a family to provide support by empowering them. Responsibilities will begin once they’ve been matched with a partner family and conclude one year after the family has moved in. After that year the member may choose to discontinue any involvement or to ask to be renewed with another family.

• Attendance of committee meetings (4-6 meetings/year)
• Ensuring the family understands program requirements.
• Search for opportunities to help integrate the family in Habitat activities.
• Mediate in times of conflict.
• Provide encouragement.
• Involve the family in ‘building community’ by meeting their neighbors.
• Contact family partners at least twice a month and provide a report to the committee once a month.

Training will be provided throughout the program as needed.

Family Selection Committee

The family selection committee member will evaluate family applications and make recommendations to the committee and its chair based on the three objective selection criteria to the homeownership applications;

1. Ability to pay the mortgage
2. Need for housing
3. Willingness to partner

Responsibilities include:

• One year commitment to the committee.
• Attendance of committee meetings.
• Conducting home visits as needed.

Members will conduct home visits that are executed with the utmost respect for the family while successfully obtaining information regarding the family’s level of need. Home visits will be done in pairs with orientation and training provided.

Some qualifications include; understanding of the Habitat philosophy, ability to facilitate decision making, and the ability to ensure the confidentiality of applications.

For more information about Habitat for Humanity – check out their website.  To find out more about these volunteer opportunities, please contact the LYP Community Service committee.