Application Guide

On the application you will provide the name, birthdate, gender, and relationship to you for anyone who will be living with you. This includes both children and adults.

This could be a handwritten or typed letter explaining why you would make a good Habitat for Humanity Partner Family, your need for housing, and outline some of the challenges that you’ve experienced in the past.

If you are completing the paper copy of the application, make sure to fill out section 16 of the folded packet or use a separate page if you need more space.

This could be your MN or ND Driver’s License, your MN or ND ID Card, your Passport, or your US Permanent Resident Card. If you don’t have a scanner at home, you can take a photo of your ID with your phone, email it to yourself and upload it into your application. You can also “scan” your ID with a mobile app like Adobe Scan and upload it to your application or email it to yourself.

If you don’t have a Minnesota or North Dakota photo ID, contact your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

The following documents are required for income that is earned by all household members that are employed:

• Most recent 2 years of W2’s for each job
• 3 most recent months of paystubs.

To verify how much income the adults in your household earns, you will need to print, copy, or save pay statements for 3 months (~12 weeks). Some jobs pay every week, every two weeks, or once a month. If you, or your adult household members, have more than one job, please provide the 3 most recent months of pay stubs from each job. This includes full-time, part-time, seasonal, and temporary work.

If you’re not sure what a pay stub should look like, here’s an example.

To verify when you started at each job, and your regular hours and pay, you will need to ask your employer to write or fill out an employment verification. Ask your Human Resources Department or your boss to provide a letter that includes:

• The date you were hired
• The number of regular hours you work per week
• Your wage per hour.

If you have more than one job, you need a letter from each employer.

This letter will verify that you have been employed at least one year at the company, or two years if you are self-employed. This is one of the required documents for your application. Want to see an example letter? Click here.

Some employers like to fill in a form, so you can print or send this form to them or use an outside source to verify employment, like The Work Number. Your employer can provide you with the company code for future verification.

When we say “other income,” we’re talking about alimony, child support, or regular income received from parents or relatives. If you receive any of these, please provide these two items:

• Most recent 6-month history of payments
• A notarized letter (or similar agreement) to verify how much you receive and how often you receive the payments

Proof of payments may be shown on 6 months of bank statements of deposits or by providing the statements from your online state-run child support account – Minnesota or North Dakota.

If anyone in your household receives income from a government program such as Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), or Retirement, Survivors, Disability Insurance (RSDI), we’ll need you to provide the most recent benefit verification letters.

If you don’t have the verification documents in your files at home, they are available online or by mail. You may need to create an account to get the document online. If you need help opening an account, here’s a resource that will walk you through it. All the instructions are in English. To open an online account, you must be at least 18 years old and have a valid email address, a Social Security number, and a U.S. mailing address.

If you need further assistance, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213.

All individuals must provide their past 2 years of signed tax returns.

Individuals who are self-employed must provide pages 1 and 2 of their 1040 tax form, Schedule C, and Schedule 1 from the past two years. If you didn’t save a copy of your tax forms, you can easily find them online, or you can seek help by calling 1-800-908-9946 and following the voice prompts.

You can also pick up a tax form transcript in person. Call (844) 545-5640 for the nearest location.

To see an example of the tax forms you should be submitting, click here to see a 1040 form, click here to see a Schedule C, and click here to see a Schedule 1.

If you, or an adult in your household currently have no income, please fill out and sign the Zero Income Verification.

Please submit the appropriate document (as applicable)

• Marriage Certificate

OR

• Divorce Decree

If you do not have copies of these documents, reach out to the Cass County Recorder or Clay County Recorder offices (or whichever county they were filed in) as these are public records and they can assist you with getting a copy. You may need to pay a fee to get a copy of these documents.

Please submit the most recent QUARTERLY statement for all retirement accounts or investments. This includes retirement accounts that are through an employer or opened on your own. Examples include 401(k), 403(b), ROTH IRA’s, Simple IRA’s, etc.

Please submit 3 months of bank statements for every bank account held – jointly or sole-owner for the household.

This includes both savings and checking accounts.

All household members 18 years or older must also sign this document.

If anyone in your family is 18 years or older, earning an income, and going to school full-time, please provide a copy of their unofficial transcripts. These documents can be obtained online, from the school’s Registrar’s office or Student Services office.