Complaint Review: Habitat For Humanity (aka Fairfield Alabama) - Fairfield Alabama

I have a large family and we applied for Habitat for Humanity for help. When we applied there were some different people but knowing other family members who also applied; we discovered that there were a lot of people that worked for a short period of time and simply left.  We soon learned why the turnover is so high for this supposed non-profit organization.

As homeowners, it is impossible to speak to anyone at the office if you need help. You are routed to the voicemail if you can get past an elderly woman who has a lot of attitude on the phone. I remember calling a few weeks ago seeking to speak with staff and the same elderly woman answered the phone and would not transfer me to the voicemail when I asked her why she simply said: "because they are busy what don't you understand!" The level of communication is poor with this location and its staff members.

Several months back we applied for the Roof repair grant to get 10k to fix my leaking roof that has been leaking since I got the house from them. The houses that they are providing people are subpar, falling apart, and will break down badly. 

I called them and requested roof repairs and it took them 5 months to show and then another several weeks to call me back and tell me that I didn't qualify for the roof grant. I and my husband am over 60 years old with disabilities.

We cannot work and do not have any money and the excuse they gave was " 10,000 dollars will not be enough and will need another 7,000 to pay out of pocket. We told them that we could not afford that and so they took the grant Now we are living with MOLD, Rodents, difficulty breathing, Are cold in the winter and exposed during the summer. we fear we are not going to survive another winter like this.  

To make matters worse, they never tell you that they can take your house away if they don't like you or if you complain too much. They know you have nowhere else to go and will play mind games with you. They will raise your rent and not tell you and will swear that it is your fault. If we are poor going into the program we are still poor coming out. So why raise the rent or make major changes when they know we can't afford it and then they will put you out? 

When you put in a work order for repairs, they say a worker will be out at your house and who shows up acts like they don't know what they are doing and barely or never finish the repair job. I took pictures of the repair men sitting down eating lunch and looking at their cellphones. The repair men also left my house FILTHY, left my front door open and exposed to everyone, and would not even speak to me but walked out and left never to be seen again.

The Rental Manager is rude, abrasive, and will talk to you like you are trash and her name is Roshera. This woman is undercutting and sneaky because there were plenty of times that I got off the phone crying wondering what I did to deserve the level of hate that comes from her.  There is something ODD going on at this location and they act like they are always hiding something because they are.

A contractor I did get close to told me that the company was audited because of suspicious money management.  They have a new boss who is inadequate and can't seem to get people to want to help Habitat for humanity anymore. I was told that the company does not have enough houses to give applicants. I also heard from a few people that know other homeowners that they are manipulating people and sabotaging them from getting their hours completed. 

It is a gossip machine and they pick and choose people that they want to mentally humiliate. This is supposed to be a Christian organization then why take the enjoyment out of putting obstacles in people's way to make getting work hours so hard?

Recently,  the new Manager of directions is forcing families that are POOR or elderly to take out Second Mortgages! Habitat for Humanity already makes homeowners pay on a 25-year mortgage and a second mortgage means that NO ONE can outlive a second mortgage successfully and so You are NOT a real homeowner.

This is such a scam that the world needs to know about it. If I had to strongly guess, I would say this new director or supervisor and its office staff are  NOT doing a good job of running this organization. I would encourage everyone to ask questions and to build a relationship with other homeowners in the program to have a support system.

I am split in half with how I feel. I feel taken in a way but at the same time needed to obtain a house in this manner. I pray that things will be different and that we are not seen as money-making machines for these people. I will not live to see new changes but if you are reading this maybe you will live longer to make changes.