atlanta — As he walked through the frame of his soon-to-be new home one morning, an excited Ozzy Herrera could envision the future. A brown leather sofa that matches the flooring. Terra cotta-colored walls. Bar cart near the kitchen.
Herrera, who works two jobs at the Atlanta airport, never imagined he would own a home at the age of 27.
“It’s special. It’s magical,” he said.
In May, nearly 1,000 Habitat for Humanity volunteers will complete the new Herrera House and 23 other affordable housing units in Atlanta’s Sylvan Hills neighborhood for Carter’s 40th Action Project.
The intensive, week-long building sessions named after former President Jimmy Carter and his late wife, Rosalynn, have built nearly 5,000 homes in 14 countries since 1984. The project returns to Atlanta for the first time since 1988, when Carter helped build 21 homes in another neighborhood.
The construction of Sylvan Hills also reflects a new shift in real estate development for Habitat for Humanity, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year amid… The growing crisis in affordable housing And an increasingly widening political battle over affordability in general.
He said: “The gap between what a family can afford and the cost of constructing that housing unit is the largest in modern history.” Jonathan RickfordCEO of the international organization.
The nonprofit plans to act as a developer on more of its projects because many small developers have yet to recover from losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic or have stopped working altogether.
In Sylvan Hills, Habitat for Humanity is building on 8 acres (3 hectares) of land it purchased in 2015. It has also worked to rezone the site, which once housed a saw blade factory, for residential use. The 24 residential units will be a mix of single-family homes and townhomes, forming a new community called Langston Park. It’s the first time Atlanta Habitat for Humanity has built multi-family homes.
“We believe it is important to make the most of every precious piece of land we can acquire and acquire so that we can serve more families,” said Rosalyn Merrick, President and CEO of Atlanta Habitat for Humanity.
The homes in Langston Park will cost about $200,000 to build. The new homeowners will make a monthly mortgage payment based on their income, but Habitat does not charge them any interest. The aim is to eventually build 40 additional homes on the site.
Felina Danielle, 27, is also eligible to buy a home. She and her 7-year-old son have struggled to find housing for the past two years, including living in a unit infested with rats and cockroaches. She’s grateful for the stability her forever home in Langston Park will bring.
“You know, sometimes we don’t see ourselves getting very far in life as young Black women in this community,” she said. “This gives us an opportunity to expand.”
Habitat for Humanity’s move into community development is “a classic example of a nonprofit really trying to respond to community needs,” said Vincent Reyna, a professor of urban economics and planning at the University of Pennsylvania.
“They can still be true to their core mission, which is to advance homeownership opportunities, but they also recognize that we need a variety of housing solutions to really meet people’s needs,” said Reyna, who is also founder and faculty director of the Penn Housing Initiative.
Rising home prices and 30-year mortgage interest rates above 7% have made it impossible for even middle-income families to buy a home in all but a few of the nation’s 98 most expensive metro areas, according to research. Published last year Written by Rena and Benjamin J. Keyes, professor of real estate and finance at Wharton.
This shift has made affordable housing a major issue across the country.
In CongressBoth the House and Senate passed various affordable housing bills. Lawmakers are working to resolve differences to send the final bill to President Donald Trump for approval.
Trump signed Executive orders To reduce housing regulatory burdens and help small banks make mortgage loans. for him Proposed 2027 budgetHowever, he seeks cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the elimination of several community development programs that currently help cities build affordable housing.
Back in Atlanta, Herrera couldn’t stop thinking about all the possibilities home ownership could open up. His mother had breast cancer, and she and his father could live with him if need be. The low and stable monthly payment for housing will also help him achieve his goal of owning a café. Herrera said high rents in the Atlanta area forced him to move previously, cutting time and money away from this project.
“Now, I can finally take some risks,” he said.
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Gamboa reported from Cleveland. Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through an AP collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.