Habitat's new home construction program raises money for materials and in turn, low-income families work off a down payment through some cash and a lot of hard work. They call it sweat equity. Clients work 300 hours building other families’ homes before they ever get to begin on their own. After the house is built by volunteers,  families purchase their home – their very own home – from Austin Habitat with a 0% interest, 30-year mortgage. Their monthly mortgage payments cycle directly back into the mission of Austin Habitat allowing Habitat for Humanity to provide the same life-changing experience for another family.

The Home Repair program works with those in the city earning less than 60% median family income and in need of critical home repairs. Many of these clients are elderly and/or disabled. By bringing these homes back to a decent, livable standard, many clients are able to stay at home, in a comfortable, safe, familiar environment rather than moving to a care facility or institution.

All homeowners go through homebuyer education classes, which provides basic, important information on repairing and maintaining their homes, protecting their assets, budgeting, financial literacy and avoiding pitfalls that might lead to foreclosure.