Home ownership has always been seen as central to the “American Dream.” But for households in low and moderate-income brackets, buying a home in today’s market is more like an American pipe dream — especially in the booming North Texas housing market. 

The Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity is working to make homeownership accessible to more people. In 2016, it launched a separate nonprofit mortgage company, Dallas Neighborhood Homes (DNH), to work with disadvantaged buyers. The company provides mortgages to families earning up to 120 percent of the Area Median Income, or $85,000 per year.

DNH recently partnered with Nexbank and IberiaBank to expand its Affordable Housing DreamBuilder Loan Program to low-income families in South Dallas. Over the next five years, the expansion will provide at least 100 loans a year to residents in specific zip codes. 

According to the Housingwire Blog, Habitat for Humanity believes that “homeownership is a catalyst for transforming communities, creating private solutions for public issues, building financial stability for generations, and priming neighborhoods for economic growth and development.”

While Habitat for Humanity and DNH are doing their part to strengthen families, neighborhoods, and communities through homeownership, they are hoping that the U.S. Congress will follow suit by considering housing finance reform before year-end. If passed, this legislation could incentivize more private capital into the nationwide marketplace.