The Habitat FM Newsletter

A Season for Celebrations

Dear Jane,

We are CELEBRATING here at Habitat FM!

Last week, we welcomed two brand new homeowners to the Habitat FM family. Katie and Amber both officially own their homes in Barnesville! They will be neighbors and living right next door to the woman one of their little girls affectionately calls "Grandma Deb." Deb has been a Habitat homeowner for a few years now, and you should see the beautiful flowers she has outside her house!

It makes me smile to think of the opportunities these three women will have to build relationships with one another as neighbors — and of the stability, hope, pride, and joy they'll find in their homes.

THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this possible for Amber and Katie.

Now our work continues as we build four more homes for local families, and construction is in full swing. Together, we are building homes, community and hope right here in the Fargo Moorhead Area.

THANK YOU for being part of our mission and impact!

Let's Build,

Katherine Halvorson

Executive Director
Habitat for Humanity FM

A collage showing Habitat FM homebuyers Katie and Amber closing on their new homes.

Amber's Story: A Habitat for Humanity FM Story

One of the challenges we face at Habitat for Humanity FM is the challenge of demonstrating impact. Impact is one of those blurry, ambiguous goals that every nonprofit aims to achieve, but can be especially hard to define and communicate when the time comes to ask for community support.

How are we impacting our community — and for how many people?

Habitat for Humanity FM builds homes for community members who need them, often community members who work overtime or multiple jobs or sleep in the living room to make ends meet for themselves and their families but never seem to get any closer to owning a home of their own.

We help them make it happen, and, while on paper this can look like we only serve four families or twenty people a year, we're building lasting, long-term investments in people and communities. We measure our work in every new neighbor, every memory and connection on a Habitat construction site, and every night that the children we serve get to go to bed in the safety, comfort, and stability of their HOME.

We measure our work in lifetimes.

Amber — a local CNA, single mother, and one of our 2026 homebuyers — just closed on her home. Her son's excited about his new school. Amber's excited about the freedom to hang art after years of bare walls. We all know that they're excited, and relieved, for so much more.

Check out the short video above to learn more about Amber's story, and please consider donating to Habitat for Humanity FM to help us build for the next family we serve.

Donate to Habitat for Humanity FM Now

Link to Habitat FM's Construction Volunteer Calendar.

Construction Volunteers Can Register Online

Join us on a Habitat for Humanity FM build site!

We've been making fantastic progress on our four homes this summer, including our two volunteer builds. However, we have multiple open shifts available for group and community volunteers over the next two weeks. If you'd like to join us on the build site as the summer winds down, check out our online calendar here or through the link below. We would love to get you or your organization involved to build some homes!

If you have questions about volunteering or team build availability, reach out to Habitat FM's Community Engagement Program Manager Davin Wait by email at davin@habitatfm.org or by phone at (218) 512-0145.

If you'd like to speak with us about sponsoring a build site, reach out to Habitat FM's Development Director Pete Christopher by email at pete@habitatfm.org or by phone at (218) 512-0109.

Check out the Volunteer Calendar Here

A photograph of Habitat FM's Katherine Halvorson and Davin Wait with Harrison Shewey and Mike Hagstrom.

Habitat FM Wraps PaY Internship

Barry Foundation Funds Homeowner Survey

Habitat for Humanity FM recently waved goodbye to Harrison Shewey, our 2026 PaY Summer Intern. The PaY, or Philanthropy and Youth, Summer Internship is a program funded by the Barry Foundation that pairs talented high school students with local nonprofits to perform mission-driven work for their community and gain valuable professional experience.

While each PaY intern takes part in several team- and community-building events with both their assigned nonprofit organization and Barry Foundation cohort, much of their time is spent working on a special project. This summer, Harrison worked with mentor Davin Wait, our Community Engagement Manager, to research, develop, and implement a homeowner survey. The survey will be sent to Habitat FM's homeowners to better measure our program's impact and help improve our homebuyer experience in the future.

The photo above was taken at the Barry Foundation's Final PaY Celebration at Concordia College. Habitat FM's Katherine Halvorson and Davin Wait are pictured next to Harrison Shewey and Mike Hagstrom, President of St. John Paul II Catholic Schools.

Want to See What We've Been Up To?

Check Out Our Photo Albums!

We encourage both our staff and volunteers to take photos throughout their day working on a Habitat for Humanity FM build site. As a result, all of our homes are completed with an archive showing our progress on the houses and communities that we build.

Check out our photo albums here or through the button below. We just uploaded some photos of the Saadella Home featuring the wonderful volunteer teams from HIA Health, Family HealthCare, and Concordia College!

Explore Habitat FM's Photo Albums Here

Link to Habitat FM's Homebuyer Application webpage.

Habitat FM is Accepting Homebuyer Applications

2028 Construction Season Window Closes Aug 31

The homebuyer application window for the 2028 construction season is closing on Monday, August 31, 2026.

If you are eligible for our program and looking for an affordable home, please consider applying. If you know someone who is eligible for our program and looking for an affordable home, please encourage them to apply.

Homebuyers qualify for the program by fitting three general criteria:

1) Demonstrating Housing Need

- Habitat for Humanity FM homebuyers typically demonstrate need by showing inadequate shelter (unsafe, temporary, or transitional housing or environment), overcrowded housing, unaffordable housing (more than 30% of total gross monthly income), or the inability to purchase a home through other means.

2) Demonstrating the Ability to Pay
- Habitat for Humanity FM homebuyers need to hold a credit score of 580 or higher, earn between 50-80% of HUD's FM Area median household income, and pay the following: a $16.50 or $33 application fee, roughly $4,000 in closing costs, and a monthly mortgage payment, which is typically capped at 27% of your gross income.

3) Demonstrating the Ability and Willingness to Partner with Us
- Habitat for Humanity FM homebuyers are required to attend classes, expected to serve in occasional public capacities as a representative of the organization, and contribute 300-550 hours of sweat equity in our ReStore, affiliate office, or on our construction sites.

Visit us online at www.habitatfm.org/apply or click the link below to see the full eligibility criteria and take the next step.

If you have any questions, please contact Habitat FM's Homeowner Services Coordinator Carissa Mohrman by phone at (218) 359-0814 or by email at carissa@habitatfm.org.

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Habitat for Humanity does business in accordance with the Federal Fair Housing Act. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, sexual orientation, age, gender identity, national origin, or because all or part of the applicant’s income is derived from public assistance programs.

Learn more about Habitat FM's Homebuyer Application

210 11th Street N | Moorhead, MN 56560
www.habitatfm.org
(218) 284-5253