By Hannah E. Jones
“Habitat provides a simple but powerful avenue for people of different backgrounds to come together to achieve those most meaningful things in life,” Former President Jimmy Carter said. “A decent home, yes, but also a genuine bond with our fellow human beings. A bond that comes with the building up of walls and the breaking down of barriers.”
On Friday, Aug. 11, city leaders and affordable housing advocates gathered for a groundbreaking in Atlanta’s Browns Mill Village. The event was hosted by Atlanta Habitat For Humanity and Wells Fargo, which are partnering to build six affordable homes in the new subdivision.
Browns Mill Village is a mixed-income community built primarily by Atlanta Habitat and Cityscape Housing. The teams broke ground in Nov. 2021. Plans for the new subdivision include 134 homes on 31.4 acres, situated less than five miles from downtown.
Atlanta Habitat will build 75 of the units, which will be available for families at or below 80 percent area median income. Five of the lots are earmarked for police officers through the Atlanta Police Foundation. The remaining 70 homes are reserved for participants in its First-Time Homebuyer Program, which helps residents build and buy an affordable and energy-efficient home.
“Affordable homeownership is a beautiful thing,” Atlanta Habitat President and CEO Alan Ferguson said. “Having the opportunity to really transform someone’s life, the lives of their children, and how they [interact] with their community — it really uplifts us and our city.”
Resident Raven Thomas took the stage to paint a picture of Habitat’s impact. As a mother of a young child, Habitat’s services have proved transformational for her.
“I am going to be living in this beautiful community. It took a lot of hard work — we have to do 250 hours of…
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