Building affordable homes for generations to come
“We finally have a place to truly call our own,” Frankie says.
Frankie is a veteran and single father of three living in Greeley, Colorado. For years, he balanced the weight of rising rent and medical bills for his daughter, who is battling an autoimmune disease.
Now, as he moves his family into the Hope Springs neighborhood, he can focus on creating a future for himself and his children.
“An affordable home means stability and a lot of peace of mind.”
Designed for real life
From the start, residents like Frankie helped shape the vision for Hope Springs, built with Greeley-Weld Habitat.
“Hope Springs was designed by the community, for the community,” says Cheri Witt-Brown, Greeley-Weld Habitat’s CEO. “We listened to our families to learn what would actually help them.”
Caption: Development of the Hope Springs community is underway, with 25 Habitat families moved in and more coming. The neighborhood has almost 491 affordable homes, with 174 built directly by Habitat.
To bring this vision to life, Greeley-Weld Habitat secured targeted grants and community partnerships to fund essential services and green spaces. The result is a walkable neighborhood where the logistics of daily life are easier:
- On-site support: A child care center and playgrounds.
- Green spaces: Community gardens, nature discovery parks, walking and biking trails.
- Connection: Residents are minutes from shops, bus stops, top-ranked schools and more.
Frankie expects he and his kids will be frequent visitors to the library right across the street.
Creating lasting affordability
We work to make homeownership within reach for the first buyer and for every family who comes after. That’s exactly how Hope Springs is built. The homes here will stay affordable forever through a community land trust.
When we use this model, Habitat owns the land, but the family owns the house. By taking the cost of the land out of the mortgage, the price of the home drops significantly. But the benefits don’t stop on move-in day.
When a family eventually decides to move out, they agree to sell the home back to Habitat or to another low-income family. This creates a cycle of opportunity.
“If I move one day, I take that equity with me, and I can help somebody else who needs an affordable place of their own.”
Hope Springs is a model we’re bringing to communities across the country. In the past two years alone, 200 more Habitat affiliates — a 50% increase — have adopted methods like this to keep homes affordable for generations.