West Hennepin Affordable Housing Land Trust

A Homeownership Option for Generations
 

To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Some pursue happiness – other create it”.  Homes Within Reach creates happiness by helping hardworking families achieve the dream of homeownership.

This is a momentous year as we celebrate our 20th year since West Hennepin Affordable Housing Land Trust dba Homes Within Reach (HWR) helped its first family. Since 2002, we’ve had the privilege of assisting over 214+ workforce families achieve their dream of homeownership, using the Community Land Trust model.  Despite the ever changing housing market, we continue to make a difference, through the creation of affordable homeownership throughout 14 Hennepin County communities. We recently expanded to serve the cities of Crystal and Plymouth and are currently working on extending that reach into more Hennepin County communities in the coming years. While growth in the number of communities and families served by HWR continues to increase, our mission becomes harder with the rising costs of homes, high cost of rehabilitation, and escalating demand for affordable housing. 

Many of the homeowners HWR assists, provide essential services to our communities. Our homeowners are; teachers, health care support staff, municipal workers, retail staff, office personnel, food prep staff, customer service representatives, our friends, family and neighbors.  The HWR Community Land Trust program provides these buyers the ability to purchase a home in the communities where they work and live!

This program helps families that are ready to take the next step of homeownership but may have barriers making it hard to compete in the traditional market.  For example, some families may not have the full down payment to qualify for a home, the purchase price is too high or they can’t secure a large enough mortgage. The HWR community land trust model provides an affordable home purchasing option to these potential buyers. 

HWR is impacting lives in our communities. One long-term homeowner recently shared their appreciation with us, “I’m ever grateful for my home and all the memories we’ve been able to create because of Homes Within Reach and the work you all do.” Other homeowners have shared their stories too.  The following are few of those stories.   

• John who had lived in Minnetonka for many years was able to purchase his home with the HWR Community Land Trust program. “As a school bus driver I would never have been able to get a house without your program ... I want to thank HWR for helping people with low income to afford their dream house.”
• Jamie said, "I'm excited to teach my daughter about the pride that results from working hard to make a dream a reality instead of just a wish." 
• Six months after arriving in Minnesota for work prospects, Chris and Angie found HWR through their landlord and purchased their first home where they settled in with their young family in Edina. The couple agreed, “As homeowners, there is a compounding rippling effect in our stability and confidence that continues to ground and grow relationships in almost every aspect of our lives. We plan to retire here and pass our land trust home on to our children.”
• Jennifer, a single mother, became a HWR homeowner. “I discovered HWR several years after a divorce and health challenge compelled me to start looking for a home for me and my two boys. I had no real options until a friend told me about HWR, so I did my homework and realized their program could work for us. A few months after my first meeting with the staff, we moved into a great Minnetonka neighborhood, and it’s been home ever since.
• Chris and Sara found their HWR home in Maple Grove where they could easily commute between home and work. “When we rented, we lived on a very busy street and couldn’t enjoy the backyard. Now we live on a quiet street and our children can go outside and play.”

• Christine, a single mother that recently closed on her home noted that, “After many years of searching, we are excited to start our next chapter—so proud---.”   

Its homeowner stories like these that motivate HWR to continue creating and preserving unique long-term affordable homeownership opportunities for working Minnesotans who provide essential services to Hennepin County suburban communities. Over the years HWR has seen first-hand how homeownership stabilizes lives, enables greater community and economic participation, and builds assets to pass on to the next generation. The donations we receive from Give to the Max will help more families access the dream of homeownership.  Please consider donating today.  

Your gift is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

   The Homes Within Reach Story