Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County is recognized for its innovative approach to addressing the housing shortage in Wilmington.
Habitat for Humanity NCC offers several programs and initiatives to tackle the affordable housing crisis in Wilmington- a densely populated city with high poverty rates, and a critical lack of housing options.
Over 600 families have been helped through Habitat's neighborhood revitalization efforts on Wilmington’s East Side alone - hardly a dent in the shortage of about 7 million affordable housing units nationwide - but a huge win locally
And the strategies used to build, restore, and get people into homes locally in an urban community can inform national practices.
Sen. Chris Coons toured some of Habitat for Humanity's recent projects in downtown Wilmington.
“What's relatively new for Habitat is doing critical home repairs that allow folks to age in place in their home affordably. And neighborhood revitalization efforts that take one area, in the case of our tour today Stubbs Elementary School, and invest in the neighborhood immediately around it to try and improve its safety, security, and habitability,” said Coons.
The goal of neighborhood revitalization is to address the needs of the entire community, rather than just provide housing units sporadically.
Habitat for Humanity NCC routinely works with existing residents and local organizations to tackle specific areas in the city where affordable housing is just one critical need.
Some of their work beyond building and restoring homes includes community clean-up and beautification, installing Ring Doorbells for safety, and leadership training for community members.
“We believe that homeownership and that partnership, not just with the individual families but with communities, is fundamental to how we build the kind of communities we all want to be a part of,” said Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford.
There are 12 new homes for first time homebuyers coming to Bennett St, just blocks from Stubbs Elementary. They will be completely electric-powered, and built to be net-zero capable- an investment in the environment, and the community.
