Dreams are coming true for Keiara Brown who waited years to own her own home.
She fought back tears Monday at a fundraiser for the non-profit Builders of Hope held inside her new home.
Brown said her mom passed away during the time that she applied and waited for the home to be completed.
“I’m just happy to be home,” Brown said.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
The house is one of 20 in the group plan in the “Revitalize West Dallas” plan.
“I’m just happy that me and my kids will get to enjoy this new home. And, it’s in west Dallas where I was born and raised,” Brown said. “It’s good the be surrounded by people who perhaps probably watched me grow up. So, to be part of a community that sticks together and watches out for each other, I think it’s going to be good.”
There was a groundbreaking for the house in November at the city park across the street with dignitaries including Mayor Eric Johnson and Builders of Hope CEO, Pastor James Armstrong.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Johnson and Armstrong also grew up in the neighborhood.
That day the home Brown has seen to completion was just a raw lot.
“It’s like watching a flower blooming. It just bloomed right in front of my eyes,” Brown said.
Today, Brown, Johnson and Armstrong see many big new homes going up at market rates that many existing West Dallas residents can’t afford.
“This project started because of a need. I saw a lot of our community members being displaced because of gentrification and rising land values,” Armstrong said.
To build affordable homes, Builders of Hope partners with cooperative banks. The City of Dallas provides vacant lots at very low prices and provides down payment assistance to eligible home buyers.
The Builders of Hope formula provides Keiara Brown $200,000 in equity the moment she walks in the door, the difference between what she has borrowed in a mortgage and the appraised value of the new home.
Brown urged other potential buyers to follow her path to make dreams come true.
“Get in touch with the right people who will guide you through the steps. Builders of Hope put me through a program with a mortgage company who walked me through it,” she said. “Keep on going. Don’t let anybody tell you, you can’t do it.”
Brown will move into the new home on Aug. 31.
“The reason why affordable housing has not been done at this scale is because of the difficulty. It’s very complex,” Armstrong said.
The City of Dallas Housing Department is also working with other non-profit builders with a similar formula to greatly increase the number of affordable homes built in the city.
