Mission/Model

Mission

The mission of Better Community Housing of Trenton is:

  • To create safe, quality housing in the Wilbur and East Trenton sections of Trenton that poor people can truly afford to buy or rent – that is, at substantially lower prices than "low-income" homes provided by other groups, and to support community action and development in at-risk urban neighborhoods.

  • To serve the local residents and to avoid the displacement that occurs to poor people as a result of gentrification.

  • To end the mindset and reality of multi-generational poverty by empowering residents to gain control of their lives and community and to develop a stable family life, leading to improved educational performance for children and job performance for adults.

The specific goals of Better Community Housing of Trenton are:

  • To empower low-income residents of the Wilbur and East Trenton areas to transform their lives and earn the American Dream through affordable home ownership, education in home ownership skills, and community action.

  • To allow families to accumulate assets as a means of ending multi-generational poverty.

  • To increase the sense of community and commitment to the community, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life for all residents. Community meetings take place every other month at 6:30 pm in our community room on the third Wednesday of the month, starting in January of each year.

  • To use “sweat equity” to teach people to care for their own homes and encourage them to become responsible, productive citizens of Trenton.

Program Model

How we bring truly affordable housing to the poor while addressing the mindset of poverty:

I. Careful leveraging of government and private support that allows us to sell the home for significantly less than it costs to build or renovate it.

  • Buy city-owned abandoned properties to offset blight and increase tax revenue for the city

  • Materials and services donated or discounted by local architects, engineers, contractors, and business people

  • Time donated by volunteers and prospective homeowners

  • Significant monetary donations by individuals, places of worship, businesses, and other organizations

  • Grants from foundations and the government

II. BCHT provides financing to the homeowner at 0% interest.

  • A 15-year mortgage or installment sale agreement is held by BCHT. Although they cost substantially more to build, the homes for our current Tyrell Avenue Redevelopment Project are selling for $39,000, making them truly affordable.

III. Homeowner learning and action — fighting the mindset of poverty.

  • People must prepare themselves to be responsible homeowners. Prospective homeowners must attend classes in financial literacy, home maintenance, community awareness, and life skills as part of a sweat equity requirement.

  • Sweat equity also includes working on houses that are being rehabbed or constructed. Prospective and current homeowners must give 100 volunteer hours before they can own a home. Once they move in, they must continue the spirit of giving, learning, and community responsibility by volunteering one day a month for the life of their mortgage or installment sale agreement. They may volunteer on building sites, in our office, or by attending classes and community meetings and events.

<< BCHT fought to have a junkyard removed so the new Greg Grant Park could be built on East State Street across from our new homes

Two of the 20 new homes completed on East State Street in 2011, now called Father Brian McCormick Court >>