A Baltimore organization getting support from across the country is working to help Black women become homeowners.Black Women Build Baltimore will be able to further its mission of teaching Black women how to rehabilitate vacant homes in west Baltimore thanks to a grant it recently received.People can find a tight-knit community on Etting Street in west Baltimore that’s connected by string lights and shared experiences. It’s a block where almost every home has new brick fronts and bright white doors and fixtures. It’s hard to believe this same block was a cluster of eyesores just four years ago, with vacant homes that the city was set to tear down.Shelley Halstead, a carpenter by trade, saw potential when no one else did. Where some saw a demolition site, she saw dream homes.”I can see why people would think that they should just be torn down, but honestly, they are doable. They are absolutely doable, and people want to live here,” said Halstead, the founder and executive director for Black Women Build Baltimore. The group is helping to make dreams come true for Black women who want to own homes. Halstead got city leaders to hold up the demolition and sell her four homes for $5,000 — homes she wanted to restore for people she wants to empower.”I knew that if I could finish one and prove the point that this is possible, that we could save these houses and have Black women become a homeowner, that we could continue to do this,” Halstead said.What started as buying a few houses turned into transforming entire blocks and transforming lives. Halstead started Black Women Build Baltimore, recruited a group of Black women and started teaching them how to restore deteriorating homes. “We basically put it back together. It’s anywhere from … we do floors, doors, cabinets, trim, tile, windows, fences, painting,” Halstead said.With the help of subcontractors, they’ve completed 13 homes and have 25 more in the pipeline on Etting, Laurens, Division and Sarah Ann streets.While women learn to work on the homes, they also learn how to work to build wealth.”We help them manage their credit and help them budget and accrue savings,” said Tonika Garibaldi, the program manager for Black Women Build Baltimore.It’s efforts that are all to get the participants to the moment where they’re holding the keys to their own home — a home they’ve helped rebuild.”It’s so exciting because they are not sure, and then at the end, they say, ‘Oh, that’s mine.’ They have a lot more freedom,” Garibaldi said. Nine women have come through the program so far and have bought a home they worked on. Halstead hopes to add more by helping them build the foundation of their own home and a foundation for a better future.”This is really an investment in their future. Being a homeowner can change the trajectory of what they can do for the rest of their lives,” Halstead said. The organization just bought two vacant homes on Etting Street, and the next step is to fix them up. For more information on how you can get involved and support Black Women Build Baltimore, visit the following website.
A Baltimore organization getting support from across the country is working to help Black women become homeowners.
Black Women Build Baltimore will be able to further its mission of teaching Black women how to rehabilitate vacant homes in west Baltimore thanks to a grant it recently received.
People can find a tight-knit community on Etting Street in west Baltimore that’s connected by string lights and shared experiences. It’s a block where almost every home has new brick fronts and bright white doors and fixtures. It’s hard to believe this same block was a cluster of eyesores just four years ago, with vacant homes that the city was set to tear down.
Shelley Halstead, a carpenter by trade, saw potential when no one else did. Where some saw a demolition site, she saw dream homes.
“I can see why people would think that they should just be torn down, but honestly, they are doable. They are absolutely doable, and people want to live here,” said Halstead, the founder and executive director for Black Women Build Baltimore.
The group is helping to make dreams come true for Black women who want to own homes. Halstead got city leaders to hold up the demolition and sell her four homes for $5,000 — homes she wanted to restore for people she wants to empower.
“I knew that if I could finish one and prove the point that this is possible, that we could save these houses and have Black women become a homeowner, that we could continue to do this,” Halstead said.
What started as buying a few houses turned into transforming entire blocks and transforming lives. Halstead started Black Women Build Baltimore, recruited a group of Black women and started teaching them how to restore deteriorating homes.
“We basically put it back together. It’s anywhere from … we do floors, doors, cabinets, trim, tile, windows, fences, painting,” Halstead said.
With the help of subcontractors, they’ve completed 13 homes and have 25 more in the pipeline on Etting, Laurens, Division and Sarah Ann streets.
While women learn to work on the homes, they also learn how to work to build wealth.
“We help them manage their credit and help them budget and accrue savings,” said Tonika Garibaldi, the program manager for Black Women Build Baltimore.
It’s efforts that are all to get the participants to the moment where they’re holding the keys to their own home — a home they’ve helped rebuild.
“It’s so exciting because they are not sure, and then at the end, they say, ‘Oh, that’s mine.’ They have a lot more freedom,” Garibaldi said.
Nine women have come through the program so far and have bought a home they worked on. Halstead hopes to add more by helping them build the foundation of their own home and a foundation for a better future.
“This is really an investment in their future. Being a homeowner can change the trajectory of what they can do for the rest of their lives,” Halstead said.
The organization just bought two vacant homes on Etting Street, and the next step is to fix them up. For more information on how you can get involved and support Black Women Build Baltimore, visit the following website.