Our Vision
Our Mission
What We Do
Through affordable homeownership opportunities, financial education, advocacy efforts, and neighborhood empowerment programs, ESTHFH transforms families, revitalizes neighborhoods, and is working together to build a better St. Tammany.
Strategically bringing together public and private funding, community leadership and vision, and thousands of volunteers—we will break the cycle of poverty and transform our communities.
Who We Serve
Committed to building a better St. Tammany Parish through the transformative power of affordable homeownership, our tools provide sustainable solutions to meet the needs of our city and serve hardworking families with pathways to ownership.
E.S.T.Habitat for Humanity serves low-to-moderate income families with innovative products that allow us to reach a diverse clientele. All of our hardworking families demonstrate a need, an ability to pay, and a willingness to partner—to work with the support and educational services of ESTHFH to build a stronger future where home is just the beginning.
How We Do it
A hand up, not a handout—ESTHFH empowers families with pathways out of low-asset poverty. Through volunteer labor and tax-deductible donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner (partner) families.
Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest loans. Housing is often the greatest expense for families. Our model ensures that expense is affordable—guaranteeing mortgage payments will be no more than 30% of a family’s monthly income at the time of closing. Families also contribute “sweat equity” by building on their home and the homes of their neighbors, playing a critical part in the transformation of the community.
Our successful plan is largely credited to our supportive services focused on helping families prepare for ownership and navigating them through what is otherwise a complicated process. ESTHFH’s Homebuyer Education classes equip families with a stronger understanding of budgeting, home maintenance, and the various skills needed to empower them with stability and success.
The homeowners’ monthly mortgage payments are recycled into a revolving Fund for Habitat for Humanity that is used to build more houses..
Our History
East St. Tammany Habitat for Humanity (ESTHFH) was incorporated in 1992 by a small group of citizens who wanted to help low income families in their community. The organization spearheaded by Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) began offering families the life changing opportunity to purchase and own safe, decent, affordable housing in Eastern St. Tammany parish, Louisiana.
During the past 25 years East St. Tammany Habitat for Humanity (ESTHFH) has grown into a full construction organization with 138 homes built and 450 parents and children living in safe, decent affordable housing. ESTHFH has a full network of support groups maintained by local volunteers and led by volunteer professionals.