Partnership with Habitat fulfills Harmony Ridge vision

This Thanksgiving, ten families celebrated the holiday in their brand new home, thanks to a partnership between Abundant Life and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville. On November 7, three years after its groundbreaking, Habitat dedicated ten new homes at Harmony Ridge (off of 5th Street SW) on land it acquired from Abundant Life.

In 2004 and 2008, Abundant Life bought adjoining parcels of land on 5th Street SW and Prospect Avenue, to serve two main purposes: provide a new home for the ministry, and provide home ownership opportunities for our neighbors. As most readers know, the White House became our new ministry center, providing programming and office space. In 2018, we bought 780 Prospect Avenue next door, creating a campus large enough to house the offices of our entire staff and providing additional flexibility. Now, thanks to our partnership with Habitat, the affordable housing part of the original vision has been realized.

Including an additional two units developed in 2014 next to the White House, 12 families have become first-time homeowners thanks to this partnership! (We profiled one of the first, the Torres-Guzmans, in 2018). Of the ten new families at Harmony Ridge, we are already well-acquainted with one. Two of the Shafiqis’ children have participated in our programs for the last three years. Their father, Mohammad, shared with CBS19 and NBC29 what the new home means to his family. Mohammad also told Habitat, “In Afghanistan, we had great people around us. My father and I owned a small store, and we were close with our neighbors. Everyone knew each other and I want to create that feeling here.”

You may watch the virtual dedication, including remarks from Abundant Life Executive Director Nathan Walton beginning at the 5:41 mark, below.

Harmony Ridge photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville.