LANSING | Habitat for Humanity has three residential properties it wants fill with families.

David Tracy, executive director of Habitat’s south suburban chapter, said the organization has one house on Burnham Avenue for which it found a family to live. It is searching for families who could live in houses on Wildwood and Escanaba avenues, and Roy Street.

All of the structures are being refurbished, and Tracy said the property at 17741 Roy St. is a venture with a Lutheran Church cooperative.

Students from South Suburban College are assisting with the rehabilitation of a house at 18057 Wildwood Ave.

Habitat for Humanity takes existing homes, repairs them, then helps to find struggling families who are in need of adequate housing. Those families are required to do some of the home repair labor, and Tracy said Habitat for Humanity has stringent requirements for applicants to ensure they will be able to afford the home.

“We provide home ownership to families with low income, but that should not be confused with people who don’t bring something good to the village,” Tracy said.

“Unless we bring high-quality families, we won’t be invited back,” Tracy said, adding Habitat for Humanity wants to find more home projects in Lansing.

“If the village is interested, we’d like to buy more homes in Lansing,” he said.

Tracy made his pitch to the Village Board in hopes of gaining support.

No trustees were openly opposed last week, although Trustee Mikal Stole questioned whether many of the people receiving a Habitat for Humanity home would be able to keep up with mortgage payments, or if the properties would wind up in foreclosure.

Tracy insisted his group does thorough checks on recipients. Of 40 Habitat for Humanity projects throughout the south suburbs, there has been just one property in foreclosure, and nationally Habitat has a foreclosure rate lower than 2 percent.

“We’re much more diligent than any bank,” Tracy said, citing credit and criminal background checks his organization performs.

“We help people get a low-interest loan, but they are paying a monthly mortgage payment,” he said.