HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF BUCKS COUNTY, INC.
SWEAT EQUITY POLICY—Tier One—Single Head of Household
1) Purpose. The purpose of sweat equity is to (a) expose the families to people from all walks of life; (b)
encourage and empower the family with positive feedback and acceptance; (c) learn new skills and take a
proactive approach to build one’s life; and (d) learn home maintenance skills and pride of ownership.
2) Hour Requirement. The family must complete a minimum of 250 hours of sweat equity before they can own a
Tier One (T1) house. Of the 250-hour requirement, the following pertains:
a) For each family, a minimum of 125 of the 250 hours must be contributed by the persons who will live in the
house. The balance of the hours (125) can be contributed by extended family members and friends who are
recruited by the partner family. Any individuals or groups who have been recruited by Habitat Bucks cannot
donate their hours as part of the 250 hours required of the partner family. This includes, but is not limited to,
board and committee members, staff and volunteer groups. A partner family may not solicit sweat equity
hours on the site. Donated hours for on-site work will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis, as
available with the site volunteer schedule.
*Heads of household with disabilities that render him/her physically incapable of completing sweat equity
hours may enter into a written agreement with a substituting volunteer to allow him/her to complete hours on
behalf of each head of household needing assistance. A form will be provided by HfHBC for such an
agreement.
b) The partner family must complete 125 hours of sweat equity before a specific house will be assigned, and of
these 125 hours, 62½ hours (half of the overall, partner family contribution required) must be completed by
the partner family.
For multi-unit projects: partner families will be asked to prioritize their houses of choice, so long as the
choices have been deemed affordable and available by HfHBC; houses will be assigned according to the
availability of preferred units at the half-way point.
**While houses are typically assigned according to completion date, HfHBC reserves the right to assign
specific houses based on family need, including, but not limited to, a need for handicap accessibility.
c) A minimum of 62½ hours must be earned at the site of the house that has been assigned to the partner family.
d) The partner family must attend at least one workday per month or earn at least four hours of sweat equity per
month until the house is completed, even if the minimum sweat equity requirement is achieved.
e) Unless otherwise noted, all sweat equity hours will be awarded according to actual time spent on a project or
activity. For example, one hour on site equals one sweat equity hour.
3) Record Keeping. The record keeping is the responsibility of the partner family.
a) All sweat equity hours must be recorded on the Sweat Equity Log in ink and submitted monthly to the
Family Program Department at the Habitat Bucks office. All hours must be approved and calculated by
Habitat Bucks’ staff or the Family Support Committee.
b) Sweat equity hours will be rounded and calculated to the nearest quarter hour.
c) The partner family and volunteers must sign the log at the worksite. The supervisor at the worksite must sign
the partner family’s log.
d) Credit for work done outside the worksite or office must be approved in advance by the Family Program
Department and must be verified at time of activity.
4) Time Frame. The partner family will have up to one year from the time of the signing of the acceptance letter to
complete the 250 sweat equity hours, unless the home is not completed until a later date, at which point, the
family has until the completion of the home. If the hours are not completed by the required time, or, if in the
discretion of the Family Support Committee, the partner family does not demonstrate a positive willingness to
partner with Habitat Bucks (e.g., the partner family does not show up at the work site when scheduled to do so;
does not follow instructions at the work site; does not take a proactive approach to satisfying the sweat equity
requirement; does not diligently earn sweat equity hours when work is available; does not represent Habitat
Bucks’ best interest; exhibits dishonorable behavior, etc.), the partner family will be removed from the program.
Partner families who cancel attendance on scheduled work days without first notifying the Family Program
Department or the Volunteer Associate will be penalized one hour for each infringement. Failing to attend a
scheduled work day without prior notification three times will result in the partner family’s automatic dismissal
from the program. Any sweat equity hours that the partner family has accumulated will not be refunded for cash
or any other remuneration if the partner family is removed from the program.
5) Sweat Equity Opportunities. Depending on the building schedule and subject to the discretion of the Family
Support Committee*, which oversees the sweat equity requirement, families can earn sweat equity hours as
follows:
a) Habitat will conduct certain workshops (e.g., budgeting, maintenance) at which attendance is mandatory, and
the family will receive sweat equity credit;
b) Up to 62½ sweat equity hours may be earned by participating in activities set forth in paragraphs (v) through
(x); and the balance of the hours in paragraphs (i) through (iv):
i) Construction. For example, painting, installing drywall, plumbing, wiring, laying floors or carpets,
roofing, concrete work, ditch digging, demolition and removal of materials, clean up, landscaping,
providing refreshments at the site, etc. Before hours can be earned at the worksite, a site crew leader will
give the family an overview of safety procedures and guidelines for conduct on the worksite.
ii) Public Speaking. With permission of the Family Support Committee, the partner family can speak to
churches and community groups on behalf of Habitat Bucks.
iii) Habitat Clerical and Office Work or ReStore Work. Habitat Bucks’ mailings, typing, filing or other
office tasks, including making “thank you” calls. The partner family can send thank-you notes to
sponsors and volunteers. ReStore work includes working as a greeter, stocking and/or cleaning
shelves, sorting donations, etc.
iv) Committee Work. At the discretion of the Family Support Committee, the partner family can complete
specific tasks (e.g., posting and distributing flyers). The partner family may also volunteer on
committees, except for Family Selection, Family Support and Site Selection.
v) Continuing Education. After being selected by the Family Selection Committee and having signed the
initial acceptance letter of a willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity of Bucks County, the
partner family can earn sweat equity hours by attending educational classes (e.g., GED classes, college
classes, training courses, literacy work, substance abuse groups and any other meetings that would lead
to family betterment and empowerment). Hours will not be granted for class time spent prior to the
signing of the acceptance letter. For each college-credit course at semester’s end: A = 5 hours, B = 3
hours, C = 1 hour. Ten (10) hours will be awarded for the completion of a vocational certificate
program.
vi) Household Maintenance and Skills Classes. Household repairs (e.g., Home Depot and Lowe’s painting
and wallpapering classes, bricklaying, etc.).
vii) Financial Planning. Classes in budgeting, insurance, wills and other legal matters.
viii) Volunteer or Civic Work. Boy Scout/Girl Scout leaders, classroom aides, volunteer fire department,
police cadets, church-related work, hospital volunteers, etc.
ix) School Grades. For the children of the partner family, sweat equity is given for good grades and/or
extra-curricular activities (e.g., 1 hour for every A and B on a report card).
x) Fundraising. With the approval of the Family Support Committee, a partner family may create, run and
host a fundraising activity, the net proceeds of which must be submitted entirely to Habitat for Humanity
of Bucks County. All ideas must be submitted for approval before hours will be granted. All approved
fundraising activities must be coordinated with the Habitat Bucks Development Department.
6) Guideline. This sweat equity policy is a guideline, and the Family Support Committee may use its discretion in
determining whether the sweat equity requirement has been met. Any significant deviation from these guidelines
will be presented to the Board of Directors for its recommendation.
*The Family Program Directors act on behalf of the Family Support Committee regarding all sweat equity approvals
and procedures.