Habitat would not be possible without the work not only of the Habitat organization, but also by the work of local volunteers who keep it up and running. Habitat provides funds and availability, but the work is done by locals, and students and groups who travel to the site to volunteer their time to the house.
To get a house through habitat, you need to match a certain criteria. Some interesting ones are that you must take a financial responsibility class for three weeks before you can qualify. You also must put in 500 hours of volunteer work on an already being built Habitat home, and have your work be signed off on by the construction surpervisor. They have made it so that not just anyone can recieve a home.