First-time owner Raphael Freeman was welcomed to his property, freshly rehabbed by Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia. “It’s good to come home to 19139,” he said. (Photos by Tony West)

Born in the Mill Creek neighborhood, Raphael Freeman is a worker at Affordable Housing Centers of Pennsylvania. On June 18, affordable home ownership became a reality for himself when Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia gave him the deed to a vacant Overbrook rowhome next to Cobbs Creek that its apprentice program had restored to modern standards.

Freeman underwent a yearlong training program to provide him with the knowledge base and skills to manage property ownership. Meanwhile, Habitat’s Carpentry Fellows Program set three apprentices to learn the art of rehabbing Philadelphia’s traditional affordable housing stock.

Home ownership costs money. Habitat Philadelphia mustered a financial team including Freeman’s employer AHCOPA, the Urban Affairs Coalition, the City’s Philly First Home Program, the Lubert Individual Development Account Program, United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, and Women’s Opportunities Resource Center. Together they enabled Freeman to piece together $26,000 for his down payment.

The home was a learning ground for the Carpentry Fellows Program. This one-year fellowship, created by the Philadelphia Energy Authority, offers hands-on training for careers in residential carpentry and increases diversity in the construction industry.

Since 2011, Habitat Philadelphia has served nearly 1,100 households through its home repairs program.

– Tony West

This block of Avondale St. is typical of Philadelphia’s existing affordable housing stock.

State Sen. Vincent Hughes congratulates new owner Raphael Freeman as Habitat Philadelphia’s Director of Homeowner Services Rita Calicat looks on.