Families, sponsors, volunteers come together to celebrate strong foundations, community and 13 homes in North Memphis
MEMPHIS, TENN. (July 23, 2022) – Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis will soon celebrate 13 families reaching the milestone of becoming homeowners in North Memphis with those homebuyers, housebuilding sponsors, community partners, donors, volunteers and other Habitat supporters. This spring’s homebuilding projects mark Habitat’s return to working with homebuyers and volunteers on a Habitat build site, building homes, communities and hope. The North Memphis community is already home to more than 120 families who purchased homes through Habitat’s affordable mortgage program, and another 41 are already planned to enter the program, partner with Habitat and close on homes in the neighborhood by July 2023.
“We are honored to celebrate this achievement with these families, and the supporters around our community who make our work possible,” said Dwayne Spencer, president and CEO of Memphis Habitat. “We believe that everyone deserves a decent, affordable place to call home, and with a little help, everyone has the potential to stand on their own. Strong and stable homes help build strong and stable communities. Through the help of our sponsors, volunteers and other supporters, these families will have the opportunity to build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter.”
Like all Habitat homeowners, these 13 families bought their homes through Habitat’s affordable mortgage program. In order to purchase those homes, applicants must meet Habitat’s program qualifications and ability to repay the mortgage; agree to attend a multi-week financial and homebuyer education course; and help build their own homes. House-building sponsors make Habitat’s new homeownership opportunities possible by providing volunteer time and financial support, which helps pay for home construction costs, pre- and post-purchase training and support for families, and other programmatic costs.
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis was founded in 1983 by a group of citizens concerned with the availability of and access to decent, affordable homeownership opportunities. Since then, Memphis Habitat has helped more than 570 local families build and buy their first homes and served more than 1000 existing homeowners through its Neighborhood Revitalization and Aging In Place programs.
Sponsors and donors supporting the construction of these 13 homes include the Memphis and Shelby County Community Redevelopment Agency; The Burnett Family; FedEx; Habitat for Humanity of Tennessee; the Tennessee Housing Development Agency; the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis ReStore; Terminix; AutoZone; International Paper; Orgill, Inc.; TJX Foundation Inc.; Nike Tennessee, Inc.; CBRE; SSR; Thompson Machinery; St. Luke Lutheran Church; Holy Rosary Catholic Church; and the Junior League of Memphis. Supporters also included Habitat’s Bankers Build participants Bank of America; Wells Fargo Foundation; Patriot Bank; Financial Federal; First Horizon Foundation; Truist; BancorpSouth; BankTennessee; Commercial Bank and Trust; Independent Bank; Regions Bank; and Bank of Bartlett. Additional support was provided by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Phi Lambda Omega Chapter; Costco Warehouse; Dow; Friends of the Memphis Library; General Shale; Georgia Pacific Memphis Cellulose; Lehman-Roberts; Prism Medical Products; and Yale Lock.
Memphis Habitat is still seeking support for its homebuilding efforts in 2022 and into 2023. For information on how to support and build with Memphis Habitat, visit www.memphishabitat.com or call 901-761-4771.
About Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis partners with people in our community to help them build or improve places they can call home through new home construction, rehabilitation projects and Aging in Place accessibility and mobility modifications for homeowners age 60 and older. Since 1983, Memphis Habitat has helped more than 570 homebuyers secure affordable mortgages and completed rehabilitation and home modification projects in partnership with more than 1,000 local homeowners, helping them achieve the independence they need to build a better life for themselves and their families. For more information, visit memphishabitat.com.
# # #