The non-profit organization Affordable Housing Solutions in Sioux Falls is constructing eight new single family homes. The group's goal is to revitalize neighborhoods and provide affordable housing.
Wayne Wagner is the housing development director of Affordable Housing Solutions. The group partners with the City of Sioux Falls and the Community Development Foundation to tear down old or damaged structures and replace them with new homes.
“What we find is that when we take the worst house out of a neighborhood and replace it with a new one, you’re basically pulling up the entire neighborhood with it,” says Wagner.
When construction is finished, the houses are sold to qualified buyers.
“Many of our clients that buy the homes have never been able to own a home—many of the homes they could afford would not be a very nice home or in a very nice neighborhood,” says Wagner.
To apply to be a home owner, buyers have to meet a set of income guidelines and be able to obtain a mortgage. They also take first time home-ownership classes.
“It’s a big need in Sioux Falls—affordable housing and also neighborhood revitalization. So it’s two great goals that work well together; we are always looking for other funding sources that can complement what the city is able to do--and then we’ll be able to provide more opportunities for families in Sioux Falls,” says Wagner.
Five houses are currently under construction with three more to be built by the end of the year.