Three competing car dealerships in Wesley Chapel have set aside their brand rivalries to fully fund a new home for a Pasco County family.

Wesley Chapel Toyota, Wesley Chapel Mazda and Wesley Chapel Chevrolet announced Sunday a joint $130,000 Whole Home Sponsorship through Habitat for Humanity of East and Central Pasco County. The money will cover the full construction cost of a new home for a local family selected through Habitat's affordable homeownership program.

Crystal Lazar, chief executive of Habitat for Humanity of East and Central Pasco County, called the three-dealership collaboration unusual.

"Their collective commitment will help build not only a house, but a foundation for stability, opportunity and hope for a local family," Lazar said in the announcement.

Habitat's East and Central Pasco affiliate serves Land O' Lakes, Wesley Chapel, Dade City, Zephyrhills and San Antonio, meaning the new house will go up in one of those communities, though a specific site has not been announced. No groundbreaking date has been set.

Families invest sweat equity instead of getting a free house

Habitat partner families don't receive a free house. They invest sweat equity hours on the build site alongside volunteers, complete financial education courses and purchase the finished home through a subsidized mortgage. Monthly payments, including taxes and insurance, are capped at 30% of the family's gross monthly income, according to the organization's website.

The nonprofit's most common floor plan is a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home with about 1,125 square feet of living space, built east of the Suncoast Parkway.

Affiliate has built more than 160 homes since 1994

Habitat for Humanity of East and Central Pasco County has operated since 1994. The affiliate has built more than 160 new homes alongside partner families across the region and, counting repairs and rehabilitations, has improved 195 or more properties, according to its website.

How to volunteer, apply or sponsor a build

Residents interested in volunteering on a build, applying for homeownership or exploring corporate sponsorship can visit habitatpasco.org or call 352-567-1444. The organization's administrative offices are at 37220 Meridian Ave. in Dade City.