Manatee County Habitat for Humanity Homebuyer program enables qualified families to achieve the dream of homeownership with the purchase of their own home. Manatee Habitat is "hand up, not a hand out" program. Qualified candidates meet income and credit guidelines, invest 300 hours of sweat equity into the construction of their home, build an escrow account and complete a series of Homebuyer and financial literacy classes. Only after a qualified candidate has completed these steps do they become eligible to purchase a home from Manatee Habitat and secure a 25 year loan at 0% interest. Homeownership is an investment in a family. In addition to the Homebuyer Program, Manatee Habitat's Home Preservation program helps existing homeowners who cannot not afford home repairs through traditional methods to keep their homes safe and secure.