HOME OWNERSHIP

Over the past 25 years, the BGC has renovated or built more than 200 units of rental and owner-occupied housing in Garfield, Bloomfield, and Highland Park. By mid-2010, a total of 50 such houses had been built over an eight-year period, in collaboration with our partner, Garfield Jubilee Association.

The homes we build and renovate are compliant with Federal Energy Star standards – not just to reduce our carbon footprint, but also to make homeownership a realistic goal for lower-income families who cannot afford high monthly utility bills. The more families who can afford to stay in their homes and rental units, the more stable the neighborhood becomes. And dollars not being spent on high heating bills can go toward other basic expenses, or even to extracurricular activities families might not have been able to enjoy before – for example, visiting a museum or attending an arts performance.