Winston-Salem group of businesses, religious leaders, community partners help fulfill dreams of homeownership

Yahoo

28-02-2025

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — A group of businesses, religious leaders and Winston-Salem community partners have come together to make the dream of homeownership a reality for those who need it most.
The initiative is called the Winston-Salem Equitable Homeownership Project.
Together, the group finances and builds new homes and helps disadvantaged families move into them. There are several moving parts. The project as a whole wouldn't have been possible without everyone involved, but this all started with the Moravian church.
There is a long history between the Moravian church in Winston Salem and the Black descendants.
'The Moravian church … is functioning as the developer and taking on a lot of the financial risk and things like that with the project because of a history in this community of having displaced or at least been passive in the displacement of persons from historically Black neighborhoods, and these days, perpetuating marginalization in historically marginalized communities. Recognizing that history, the Moravian church feels led to be a part of this project in a risk-taking way, in accountability to the community kind of way,' said Moravian Pastor and founder of Anthony's Plot Russ May.
The church is starting to right the wrongs of the past by helping people of color who are still disproportionately disadvantaged today become homeowners. According to the US Census Bureau, in Winston-Salem, the Black homeownership rate is 38.2% compared to white homeownership at 75.1%.
This is due to a number of reasons, including systemic racism and discriminatory practices like redlining and urban renewal.
'So there's just a long and kind of continuous history with obstacles for persons of color becoming homeowners. As we look at the last 100 years and experience of Black folks in Winston-Salem in particular … we have to include familiar terms like redlining and the way that communities were given value based on who was expected to live there based on their race. We've seen the barriers to purchasing homes that came because of that,' May said. 'We've seen the history of urban revitalization and urban renewal. We know here in Winston … how that decimated the Happy Hills community.'
Four brand new homes stand on South Sunset Drive in the Ardmore Neighborhood of Winston-Salem. They will soon be owned by people who never thought homeownership was in the cards for them.
'They will purchase a home at a price that is significantly less than what it's valued at, and they will be able to over time retain that full value,' May said.
Though the Moravian church is taking on most of the financial responsibility, other people and organizations who are a part of the project are taking on other responsibilities. The homes are being built by Fine Line Homes, the Institute for Dismantling Racism is helping with the public messaging and the real estate perspective and guidance through the buying process is facilitated by Hawkins Real Estate Group with Allonda Hawkins leading the charge.
Paul Robeson Ford, who is the co-executive director of the IDR, says the messaging around this project is just as important as the construction.
'This is not just a one-off. This is not just putting up a couple of houses that a church denomination decided to essentially donate and provide some philanthropic support for. This is part of a wider effort to and aligned with a wider effort to shift the conversation and transform the way we approach affordable housing,' Ford said.
Allonda Hawkins of HREG says she's seen too many instances of people working hard and still not having the same opportunities.
'Specifically for people of color. Outside of just the historical disadvantages that a lot of us have faced, I've seen folks get unfair treatment when it comes to lending. Some of my clients who are homeowners, I've seen them experience unfair treatment when it came to the valuation of their homes,' Hawkins said.
Her role with the project will involve one-on-one guidance through the buying process for families who qualify, but buyers are able to choose their own agent if they choose.
Most of the people involved in this are giving their time and energy and getting nothing in return. They say the goal is not recognition or compensation but taking steps to even the playing field once and for all.
The plan is to build more homes so that more families can benefit from this program. To qualify, you must live at 80% or below the median area income.
This could vary depending on the size of your family. If you meet those income requirements, you can contact Hawkins at [e-mail] for more information on how to proceed.
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