ALPENA ­– Potential homeowners will have an opportunity to find out the steps they need to take to get closer to home ownership, thanks to Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan and Huntington Bank.

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21, anyone interested in learning more about home ownership is welcome to visit the Habitat offices on South U.S.-23 in Alpena.

“Representatives from Huntington Bank will be on hand to answer questions about mortgage processes, financial counseling, that kind of stuff,” said Jennifer Nestell of Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan. “We’re going to be here answering questions about our program — the home ownership program through Habitat ­– and how to apply, and what that means, and all that information.”

She explained that there is no charge for this program.

“This is financial counseling that helps them get where they need to be,” Nestell said. “They work towards qualifying.”

She noted that qualifying for a Habitat home is based on the AMI, which stands for area median income. If you think you might be qualified, stop in to find out.

“It depends on how many people are in their home, and it’s based on that, so it’s a percentage,” Nestell noted.

“We are a hand-up, not a hand-out,” she added. “We want to help them get to the point where they can sustain a mortgage, take care of their home, all of that.”

“A lot of young people don’t have any experience or sense of what financial counseling is all about, or what they have to do,” said Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan Executive Director Ted Fines. “So, it’s really up to us to educate them. It’s huge. But people don’t know what we do.”