Habitat Pinellas and West Pasco, recently named the largest Habitat affiliate based on new home builds across the 1,100 US affiliate network, was a natural partner for the City of St. Petersburg. Habitat Homes are sold at no profit and no interest to households who do not qualify for a traditional mortgage. The program prepares homeowner partners to be successful through an education curriculum of 32 classes, from budgeting to home maintenance. “When you've got that intentionality and when you have public private partnerships like we have here, you can make a substantial impact on affordable housing”, said St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch. “We have several projects in this corridor, in this area with Habitat that will, for the first-time bring home ownership opportunities to folks that have been excluded from that for years.” “Exact Partners and Architects are excited about our partnership with the City of St. Petersburg and Habitat for Humanity”, said developer Bob Mayer. “It has been a longtime coming to provide this affordable new housing to the Southside of St. Petersburg. This truly is a public, private, and non-profit Partnership Model for getting affordable housing to the people of St. Petersburg.” This unique partnership brings together Habitat’s expertise in affordable homeownership, the Shell Dash team’s years of development experience and DuCon’s residential construction capabilities to execute on the City’s vision of building Housing Opportunities for All. Both the City and the development teams know how hard it is for people to find housing that fits their needs and budget. This development highlights the importance of public/private partnerships and increased collaboration within the affordable housing sector. All involved are proud to be able to offer three-bedroom townhomes just blocks away from the Historic Gas Plant District site at a maximum purchase price less than half the cost of other new construction in the area.
Learn more at www.habitatpwp.org/shelldash. Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas County and West Pasco Counties Since 1985, Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties has served over 900 families and individuals through its new home buyer and neighborhood revitalization programs using locally raised funds. Volunteers and the future homeowners construct the homes, which are sold at no profit and financed with a zero-interest loan. Habitat homeowner candidates earn 30 to 80 percent of area median income. Candidates must demonstrate need for adequate shelter; ability to pay back a zero-interest loan and willingness to partner with Habitat to invest 350 to 450 “sweat equity” hours. Mortgage monies are used to build even more homes, making each donation to Habitat a perpetual legacy to the community. Habitat believes that homeownership contributes to family stability, leading, in turn, to community stability. Additionally, the affiliate raises funds through their ReStores; home improvement outlets where donated household and building items are sold to the public. For more information about Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties, call (727) 536-4755 or visit www.habitatpwp.org. #
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