MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Habitat for Humanity is building homes in one of our viewing area’s underserved communities.
As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, Habitat for Humanity leaders say Edgemont is one of the first neighborhoods in Dayton impacted by redlining, which is when banks deny loans based on where someone lives.
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“This one is different because it allows us to focus in a neighborhood that’s been seriously neglected,” Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Norman Miozzi said.
The foundation for a new house will be laid in a few weeks, and it’ll be the first home built in Edgemont in several decades.
Miozzi and other Habitat for Humanity leaders are trying to build new homes in areas like Edgemont to give its residents a fighting chance.
“Residents who live here have about a 17-year shorter lifespan because of the health issues, because of the environmental issues, because of the industrial nature of the neighborhood,” Miozzi said.
Thanks to some help from The Dayton Foundation, Habitat for Humanity will build four new houses in Edgemont.
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“Address inequities and also serve under-resourced underserved communities in Montgomery County,” The Dayton Foundation Senior Community Officer Tania Arseculerante said.
Five Rivers Health Center Chief Executive Officer Gina McFarlane believes it will take the Dayton community to rebuild this part of Edgemont.
“All of us need to figure out a way how to make housing more accessible for everyone. It’s a major challenge. We have to solve it in Dayton,” McFarlane said.
“We feel privileged to be able to help rebuild Edgemont from a system that was not fair to this neighborhood,” Miozzi said.
The first home that Habitat for Humanity is building in Edgemont should be completed this Fall.