Habitat for Humanity Dedicates Two New Homes in Richmond
April 10, 2024
Back in the fall, 28 Virginia Housing associates participated in two Habitat for Humanity builds on 17th Street in Richmond’s south side, just off of Hull Street. The houses were recently finished, and a dedication ceremony took place on Tuesday, March 26.
Ceairra Lipscomb and her daughter, all set to move into their new home.
Photo courtesy of Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity.
“Owning a home will mean everything to me,” said Ceairra Lipscomb, who is set to move into her home with her family. “A place where I can call my own for me and my daughter. I want to show my daughter that anything is possible if you want it and work for it.”
The neighboring unit is currently on the market, to be sold to a family making 80% or less of the area median income.
Like other Habitat for Humanity homeowners, the Lipscomb family will receive a 30-year loan at 0% interest. To be eligible for the program, Ceiarra completed homeowner education classes through Virginia Housing and worked 350 “sweat equity” hours, helping to build her own homes and the homes of other Habitat for Humanity homeowners as well as working at Habitat ReStores.
Speaking to a crowd gathered on the sidewalk and in the street in front of the homes, Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity CEO Madelyn Peay shared that the homes are the 389th and 390th that Richmond Habitat has built since its founding in 1987. She also noted that to build these two homes, 457 volunteers worked 880 shifts and 4,440 total hours.
This was also Richmond Habitat’s first PRIDE build, meaning there was a specific focus on inviting members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies to participate in the build. PRIDE builds serve as an effort to raise awareness around discrimination that has barred LGBTQ+ families and individuals from homeownership. Approximately 35 Habitat for Humanity chapters across the U.S. put on PRIDE builds each year.
“Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976,” said Burdette Robinson, Richmond Habitat’s Community Engagement Manager, “but it had its roots in a community that practiced radical inclusion as far back as the 1940s – long before DEI was a catchphrase. Over the years, we have worked to include all people in our vision: that everyone deserves a decent place to live.”
Virginia Housing will service the Lipscomb family’s mortgage, as it does the majority of Habitat for Humanity loans across the state.
“It was such an honor to be there to celebrate Ceairra moving into her new home,” said Strategic Housing Officer Chris McNamara, who organized Virginia Housing’s volunteer effort for the PRIDE build. “As an associate, I’m really proud of how much Virginia Housing does to support Habitat for Humanity. It was also particularly special to work on a build just down the street from our headquarters. I hope great things are in store for Ceairra and her family.”