In celebration of National Homeownership Month, Mission of Peace CDC and a HUD approved national housing counseling intermediary, held a celebration they called "An American Miracle Making Dreams a Reality". The highlight of the event was a tour of the affordable housing development created in collaboration with the Genesee County Land Bank, who donated the tax reverted land to build the homes on and Genesee County Community Development who provided HOME funds toward the project.

Buyers participate in homebuyer classes on pre and post purchase, homebuyer education, credit and budget counseling, fresh start banking basics and numerous others based upon their need.

Robin's story

"I had trouble doing things on my own. I had found the Homebuyers Club at Mission of Peace. Mission of Peace introduced me to following a budget. This was the main key I needed to achieve the goal of owning my first home. The Mission of Peace was the answer to show me the information I needed to understand in all the aspects of homeownership.

The instructors may not have been the same at all times, the information remained the same: pay your bills on time, plan out your budget for the month, use layaway on items you need, pay the interest along with your payment to credit cards, pay cash for items instead of credit, and work on clearing up your credit report. I started working on my credit report first. I paid the majority of my bills at tax time; this was the easiest option for me. This option prevented me from hurting my regular monthly budget.

Robin's new home

Finally after completing the above-mentioned steps I was ready for a home of my own. I wanted a new home versus an existing home. This option was made possible with the help of Mission of Peace. There were many obstacles along the way but with faith and perseverance I achieved my dream of homeownership. The process of going into homeownership was fun and exciting. I never dreamed that one day I would be able to pick out the floor plan for my own home. I was able to watch my house being built from the basement to the roof in no time. It felt like my home was completed overnight. At last the day came for me to receive the keys for my own home.

I was so excited to go into my own home words cannot express how I felt. I waited until my children were going to school before getting our new home together. I could not wait to see how my children would react to having their own rooms for the first time in their life. When my children walked into our new home, they ran around looking in all the rooms and cupboards. They told me we have to pack up so we could stay the night in our new rooms and this is exactly what we did." (Robin is a Wal-Mart employee and the mother of 2)

Mamadou Camara's new home

When he lived in New York City, Mamadou Camara said owning a home was beyond his reach because of that region's expensive real estate.

When he moved to the Flint area five years ago, homeownership seemed like an unobtainable dream because financial struggles made him an unlikely candidate for a mortgage. "The idea of being a homeowner is something I thought was out of reach because of problems with my credit. With the knowledgeable staff at Mission of Peace, in a short time I was able to clean up my credit. The staff also helped me get a fresh start by opening a new checking account, after I completed their banking basics program. I would like to thank the entire staff for working diligently with me to realize my dream of becoming a homeowner."

Wilson family home

The Wilson family was in need of a home for 2 years. After overcoming credit and health problems, the Wilson's and their children now live in this new home.

Three companies are building the houses for Mission of Peace. Clients select from three models that each builder is offering, so the new homeowners get a custom-built, affordable house.