Habitat for Humanity Island County recently announced the acceptance of a family of three and a family of five into their Homeownership Program, a partnership where families with a demonstrated need for safe and affordable housing help with the construction of their new home.

The houses are being built in Oak Harbor and Coupeville with support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Community Frameworks, volunteers and donors.

Every year, Habitat for Humanity chooses a number of families based on how many projects have been started and how many bedrooms these projects have, as Volunteer Coordinator Lauren Taffer explained. Sometimes, selected families have to wait until the following year until they start building a house that fits them, or are directly transferred to a vacant home built for a family that moved away.

To be eligible, applicants must have lived or worked on Island County for at least a year, be low to moderate income that does not exceed 80% of the area median income, show a need for safe housing, have a willingness to volunteer to help build the house and have the ability to pay a mortgage that does not exceed 30% of the homeowner’s gross monthly income.

The mortgage payments, according to Habitat’s website, are cycled back into the community to build more houses. There is no down payment as families pay in “sweat-equity” — meaning they help build the house.

According to Taffer, Habitat for Humanity has helped 72 families and built 55 homes for Island County recipients since its debut in the area.

Members of the community are welcome to donate or volunteer for the project. For more information on volunteering and applications, visit islandcountyhabitat.org.

A previous version of this story stated: “To be eligible, applicants must have lived or worked on Island County for at least a year, be low to moderate income that does not exceed 60% of the area median income.” It is actually 80% of the area median income. We regret the error.