The non-profit Habitat for Humanity welcomed eight families to new, energy-efficient and affordable homes in San Francisco’s Diamond Heights neighborhood at a dedication event Saturday.
Kristen McCleod is one of those residents who has a new place to call home on Amber Drive.
“For us, it is going to be a place to live long-term while my kids grow up, while I enjoy the city, as it’s the longest place I have ever lived anywhere in my life," said McCleod.
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Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco built the homes on land donated to the non-profit. Its CEO spoke at the dedication even over the weekend.
“We are today dedicating the eight homes where eight San Francisco families will become first-time homeowners,” said Maureen Sedonaen.
Sedonaen said they put in 500 hours of sweat equity, volunteering to help build the homes.
“What we’re able to do is provide our homeowners with a zero-down, zero-percent interest mortgage and cap their housing expense at 30%,” Sedonaen said.
It’s part of a long road toward expanding affordable home ownership. For some families, this also marks the end of impacts from displacement that began long ago.
The demand for the homes was high.
“We had over 500 families apply for these eight homes in San Francisco, to want to talk about need, right? And its selected through a lottery. So we use a fair housing lottery," Sedonaen said.
The Director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, Eric Shaw, was also at the dedication.
“I think that this is really the hard work,” Shaw said. “We got to take every win and this is a huge win for residents, for our office and for the city.”
