HomeAid Houston builds affordable housing for Agape Development

HomeAid Houston recently approved a 2024 affordable housing project in partnership with Agape Development, a non-profit organization dedicated to the work of transforming Houston’s OST/South Union neighborhood.

This will be HomeAid Houston’s first affordable housing project, taking place just above the most southern section of Loop 610, encompassing the area south of the University of Houston and east of Texas 288, a community undergoing gentrification.

HomeAid and members of the Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA) will construct townhomes/duplexes to add rental housing to Houston’s underdeveloped affordable housing market.

HomeAid’s mission will save Agape Development approximately 50% of construction costs through the in-kind construction management, labor, and materials of GHBA members.

Free services

The project will be constructed within 1/2 mile of Agape Development’s Community Center, where residents of the upcoming project will benefit from free access to a myriad of services for the entire family, including faith-based after-school programming for all school-aged children, summer camp for K-fifth graders, weekly teenage enrichment programs including college campus tours each fall, parent education nights, women’s ministry, and financial education classes to create a pathway to homeownership, to name a few.

Many other wraparound services are available to at-risk families.

Co-founders Kirk Craig and his wife Amanda Van Zandt Craig founded Agape Development in 2005. They, along with other leaders in the organization, reside in this community, delivering their vision to empower the community for sustainability rather than dependency.

Craig said, “HomeAid Houston is an incredible partner to Agape Development’s mission of neighborhood transformation in the OST/South Union community. Together, the neighbors, the staff, the volunteers, and partners are creating affordable and attainable housing options for our most vulnerable and treasured residents.

“In the face of increased costs in land, construction, and lending, HomeAid Houston’s selection of this project allows us to create deep and lasting affordability where rents are rising faster than the incomes of the renting labor force of our city. Without the… financial commitment of all the professionals connected to HomeAid and other partners, our city cannot preserve the diversity we love to laud.”

Further details

For more information about HomeAid Houston, visit www.homeaidhouston.org or call 281-970-8970. For more information about Agape Development, visit www.agapedevelopment.org or call 713-658-1001.