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 or via Zoom on the third Wednesday of the month.

  • To provide and reference resources for successful homeownership through classes offered through BCHT and other local organizations such as East Trenton Collaborative and Isles. It is important that people understand how to maintain their home and finances and learn 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 homebuyer at 0% interest.

  • A 12-year installment sale agreement is held by BCHT. Although they cost substantially more to build, the homes for Phase 2 of our Tyrell Avenue Redevelopment Project are selling for $75,000, making them truly affordable. This is made possible through grants and generous personal donations.

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

  • People must prepare themselves to be responsible homeowners by doing “sweat equity”. This helps homebuyers show the spirit of giving, learning, and community responsibility.

  • Sweat equity could include working on houses that are being rehabbed or constructed, or attending or leading community based classes or events in home ownership skills, community service, life skills, college or continuing education classes.

  • Once they move in, homebuyers must give a specified number of hours a month of sweat equity for the life of their installment sale agreement.

<< 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 >>