Building a Legacy Through Affordable Housing

Bree Jones chose a neighborhood in West Baltimore for her startup nonprofit, Parity, because the community has hundreds of abandoned homes in a primarily black area. Overtime, she plans to renovate 96 abandoned rowhouses located within a 10-block area, using funding from foundations and private investors.

Working closely with the local residents, Parity will gut the derelict homes, while preserving the historic elements, and then make them affordable for locals from the community making $40,000 – $60,000 so they can sustain the legacy of the area before gentrification takes over. In addition, the organization will work with existing homeowners to help them keep their current housing and participate in the revitalization process. Jones wants to build a movement among people committed to this idea of equity and social justice, and eventually replicate the model in other cities with minority neighborhoods that have a lot of abandoned homes.