The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation recently announced that it has donated a plot of land to Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, which will allow for the construction of an affordable house in West Atlanta’s Washington Park neighborhood, according to a press release. The undeveloped lot is located near two historic houses that the Georgia Trust is rehabilitating to sell as affordable housing.
In 2018, the Georgia Trust purchased the undeveloped lot and two historic houses from the family of Edward Johnson, a longtime resident of the community who served during World War II as a ground school instructor with the Tuskegee Airmen. The properties, located near the Atlanta BeltLine Westside Trail, are part of the Trust’s West Atlanta Preservation Initiative, a program designed to revitalize neighborhoods affordably and sustainably without displacing longtime residents.
The property will become a property selection option in Atlanta Habitat’s first-time homeownership program in 2020. Once accepted into the program, an Atlanta Habitat homebuyer selects a lot, participates in home education classes, completes 250 hours of sweat equity, including helping to build the home alongside volunteers over eight Saturdays. Volunteer labor and sponsors help Atlanta Habitat offset the construction costs and offer an affordable mortgage to low-income families.
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