As dozens of local officials and advocates recently took a peek at Maura Heft’s new three-bedroom home, she proudly showed off her spacious kitchen with dark wood cabinets and joyfully explained that the home came with a finished basement. Heft and her 6-year-old daughter were moving into their first home that they own. They are the first tenants to move into a new type of affordable housing constructed by Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City on the southern edge of Olathe in Johnson County. It’s a 14-home neighborhood built on a community land trust. That’s a real estate tool that allows the organization to sell the homes at a reduced price — and keep them affordable in the future. Habitat for Humanity sold the home to Heft for about $250,000, less than half of the average home price in the county. Heft said moving into the new home is a life-changing moment for her and her daughter — who have been homeless for five years while staying with family or living in transitional housing — despite Heft working a full-time job.
Read more: KLC Journal
