DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — New Birth Missionary Baptist Church broke ground Sunday on a new affordable housing community.
There will be dozens of homes in the first stage, and they say there are thousands more aspiring homeowners on the waiting list.
There was no shortage of excitement in this crowd over what is to come.
“To be able to build affordable houses right in the heart of DeKalb County, and for the church to be the anchor says that something significant is taking place,” Pastor Jamal Bryant said.
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church broke ground on its New Birth Village on property near the church off Woodrow Road.
Pictures show what will eventually be a community of 390 homes. And the demand is high.
“Knowing that in Phase 1 we only have 87 houses but 3,000 on the waiting list ... Home ownership is the anchor for generational wealth in America, and a lot of people in our community are missing that opportunity,” Bryant said.
They hope to fill the need for affordable housing.
“The thing we are able to do here at New Birth Village is to make that dream attainable, so that was the motivation,” said Vanessa Williams Nash of the New Birth development team.
And by getting more people into homes they own, they hope to set a trend.
“I think this is going to be the beginning of a new trend of churches really evaluating the assets and the resources that they have,” Bryant said. “It’s not just place to worship on Sunday but a place to live all through the week.”
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