Bay Area Habitat for Humanity - Houston, Inc. (BAHFH) was founded in 1991. The affiliate grew out of a group of area Churches that desired to bring the mission of Habitat - simple, decent housing - to the Clear Lake area. There were no other non-profit builders in the area, and almost one third of persons in the target area were living in substandard housing.

BAHFH.began building along Avenue C in the Moore's Addition area of Dickinson, in North Galveston County. The first house was completed in 1992; in all, sixteen homes were built in Moore's Addition (mostly along Avenue C) before the supply of lots was exhausted.

In summer of 1997, with the help of several private foundations and the dedicated financial leadership of the late Habitat volunteer Starke Shelby, BAHFH purchased two and one-half acres of land (24 lots) along Ohio Avenue, off Deats Road in Dickinson. Starke passed away suddenly before any houses were built, and in his memory, the land has become informally known as Shelby Park. By the end of 1997, three homes had been completed on this tract. Galveston County paved the once-dirt roads, and the community began to take shape.  

Recognizing the supply of Shelby Park lots was nearing exhaustion, in 2002, Habitat purchased an additional block (12 lots) adjacent to the southeast corner of the Shelby Park property.

During the late 1990's, while BAHfH continued to build in the Dickinson area, chapters were established to serve the La Porte, Alvin/Friendswood/Pearland, and Texas City areas. These chapters were a part of Bay Area HfH, with operations directed by the chapters' own board of directors. Oversight and administration support were provided by the BAHfH.affiliate to the chapters. In July, 2003, the Alvin/Friendswood/Pearland chapter was granted affiliate status by Habitat for Humanity International and "spun off" to be an affiliate of its own; in 2004, Texas City similarly was granted affiliate status by Habitat International. La Porte is now the only chapter under the BAHFH umbrella.

As of 2007, Bay Area Habitat for Humanity has built 47 homes and its LaPorte Chapter has built 17 homes. BAHfH tithes 10% of all non-designated donations to Habitat International and through that tithe, 120 homes have been built in Mexico.

Bay Area Habitat for Humanity is in the process of purchasing additional land to increase its building capacity from 3-4 homes per year to 8-10 homes per year over the next three to five years.

The BAHfH affiliate is governed by a local Board of Directors.   BAHfH continues to be an all-volunteer organization, with the exception of one paid office staff position.