Expanding affordable housing in Little Rock: Two new homes are unveiled, with more to follow

Little Rock, Arkansas – The City of Little Rock unveiled two recently constructed homes on Wednesday as part of a significant effort to increase the amount of affordable housing in the neighborhood.

“We continue to focus on the City of Little Rock’s 100 home initiative that we started about two years ago,” said Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. “We are somewhere around 50 to 60 homes.”

Little Rock Ward 6 Director Andrea Lewis stated that they are two of the sixteen planned homes to be constructed in the community, which she claimed was necessary.

“It is going to promote overall health and wellbeing,” said Lewis. “It is going to support our school systems and the economy overall. We are hoping to gain more families and provide that sustainable way of life.”

What keeps these houses within budget According to Brian Contino, Assistant Director of Housing and Neighborhood Programs for the City of Little Rock, less money would be needed down than in the past.

According to Contino, lenders can provide prospective families with additional lending choices.

“31% of the individuals are not able to put a down payment on a home,” said Contino. “This project helps them in that endeavor.”

The director of Arkansas’s Department of Housing and Urban Development, Reginald Marable, stated that the goal of relocating those families is to improve their standard of living.

“It gives them wealth,” said Marable. “It gives them something that they can have that can accumulate into assets that can help them later in life. Having somewhere that kids can grow up, have a sense of ownership, and ties to the community.”

According to Contino, they also hope that this will benefit the neighborhood.

“That is what community development is all about is rebuilding that fabric of the City of Little Rock and this is what it is all about,” said Contino.

In addition to the planned construction in Ward 6, the city is trying to purchase other land to construct affordable housing.