Growing homeownership

Plant A Home program strengthens town, families with low-cost property

By Donna Williams

The town of Ayden is striving to build its community by planting seeds of hope in those who thought home ownership was not possible.

Te Plant a Home program ofers vacant parcels of townowned land for sale at a low cost to generate a win-win for Ayden and potential homeowners who qualify.

Te program helps buyers obtain land below tax value, allowing them to invest more of their money into a home, and it puts the soon-to-be improved property back on town tax rolls and relieves the town of upkeep costs.

Currently, six lots are available. Te town acquired several afer previous owners failed to maintain them, a byproduct of ongoing revitalization eforts. Other lots were donated and the town continues to seek donations.

“I saw an opportunity to elevate living standards while turning vacant property expenses into town revenue,” said Ayden Mayor Pro-tem Ivory Mewborn, who helped get Plant A Home started. “Te goal is to increase community hope by planting beautiful homes as fowers where dilapidated house once sat.”

Mewborn said the idea came in a vision from God. He saw a single mother feed her children breakfast on a Saturday morning then hug and kiss them before heading out to work.

Her children pleaded with her to stay home and watch cartoons with them, but the mother responded she couldn’t and held up a rent receipt. She told the children that at the end of 30 days, that rent slip would be all that she had.

“It started my brain turning. Ten to 15 years from now, that’s all she is going to have,” Mewborn said. “Why not reach out to people like that and give them an opportunity to own their own home?”

Te lots are located across town on Martin Luther King Boulevard, Lee, First and Sixth streets.

Applicants must pass background, credit and criminal history checks and their revenue may not exceed 20 percent of the area’s median income. Te lot also

Mewborn, lef, applauds Tyrone and Jamie Taf afer their purchase through Ayden’s Plant A Home program. Ayden Mayor Pro-Tempore Ivory Mewborn and Nichole Brown, executive director Ayden Housing Authority.

SUMMER/FALL 2021 AYDEN MAGAZINE

homeownership

Ayden Mayor Pro-Tempore Ivory Mewborn and Nichole Brown, executive director Ayden Housing Authority.

LEARN MORE:

• For more information about the Plant-a-Home program contact Nichole Brown at 252-746-2021.

“I saw an opportunity to elevate living standards while turning vacant property expenses into town revenue.”

Ayden Mayor Pro-Tem Ivory Mewborn

must be used for a primary residence.

“Te program works if you are ready to buy a house in the next six-months. Tat means you already got your credit where it needs to be. You have taken the pre-steps to become a homeowner. You have had home ownership in your scope. You just haven’t gotten all the pieces worked out,” said Nichole Brown, program facilitator and director of the Ayden Housing Authority, adding the goal is to have homes established on the vacant lot within a year.

“We are selling the property to bring up the community and to have houses where vacant lots sit now. You don’t want a person to buy the lot and it sit vacant for two to three years. Timelines were established to keep people on track.”

By ofering land at a reduced cost, the town is able to help economically disadvantaged families move forward and take the next steps to home ownership, Brown said.

“For these families, it is extremely hard to gain home ownership. When you start thinking of home ownership and moving it requires a nest egg, a down payment or deposit. It normally takes a lump sum of money. For people living paycheck to paycheck, it can be extremely hard for them to squirrel away money to save up for those closing costs. Life happens. Te money they had set up where they wanted to do something gets taken,” Brown said, adding lack of afordable lots is also a deterrent.

“Te unique thing about this program is it takes some of that out. While there are some costs that are associated with it, there is not a large amount of costs like those that would be in the regular private sector or housing market or with a bank loan. It takes that large amount out so that the amount we give them is more obtainable.”

Te win-win scenario is good for the town and participants, she added.

“Te town gets to take the property and now turn it into revenue where before it was an expense. At the same time, they are helping at family with home ownership who otherwise may not have it. Really it’s a win for the town, it’s a win for the resident,” Brown said.

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“Tis is what communities and helping each other is about. Te town is helping the family and the family, whether they know it or not, is helping the town because they are taking expense of of it.”

Te program signed up its frst participants in April, Tyrone and Jamie Taf. Te Tafs have been residents of the Ayden Housing Authority for 11 years and together have three children.

Like others, the Ayden natives have had a hard time fnding land that is afordable. Tey struggled through the home-buying process.

“Te process has been long and it seems like we kept coming to a dead end, especially when it comes to purchasing land,” Jamie Taf said. “It has always been either too expensive or it is not in an area that we want to raise our family.

“Tis opportunity could not have come at a better time because we were ready to give up on the whole home-buying process. Tis project is a great opportunity for us because we can stay in an area we like and as area our children are used to and comfortable with. It also gives us an opportunity to be able to aford a better life for our family.”

Having the Tafs leave the Housing Authority is “bittersweet” for Brown. “I am proud of them and I am happy. Tey are a great family,” Brown said. “Tey are some of the best tenants. Tey are really good residents. Tey are engaging. Tey always participate. I understand we have to help people move to the next phase in life. Tat is something they can pass down to their children and have a legacy.”

Having the ability to leave a legacy generates both generational wealth and creates hope for others, Mewborn said, adding children will see homes built on the vacant lots and know that they too can be home owners one day.

Te program is also expanding. Brown is working to add in fnancial education components and classes through the local Southern Bank, targeting people interested in becoming home owners and those who didn’t think home ownership was a possibility. “We’re working on fnancial education, saving, debt consolidation or getting out of debt education,” Brown said.

Mewborn said their job is to reach out and try to make things better for all of the town’s citizens. “We are trying to elevate everyone for them to achieve their fullest potential. During research, I found many other municipalities across our state have similar problems regarding vacant parcels and afordable housing. Te positive is, most can solve this issue by simply implementing the program.”

Mewborn and Brown hope the program expands beyond Ayden to other cities and states.

“Tat’s how you change communities. You have to start somewhere. If I can take three of my residents and make them homeowners, I have impacted Ayden, the county, because now we have county revenues we can count on and city revenue we can count on. It has the potential to boost the economy. It has potential all the way around,” Brown said.

An added beneft is that Housing Authority units will open for new residents as former tenants move into their new homes, she said.

“We get them in here, get them some help working, transportation, and now we can help them move to the next thing and that cycle keeps going. I think that’s what our initial purpose was: To help families become stronger. Tat what I want to do.”

SUMMER/FALL 2021 AYDEN MAGAZINE