Arkansas grandmother rejoices as she owns her first home at last

Mae Bailey, 79, has at last become a first-time homeowner. The mother of five was given the house as a present from the central Arkansas chapter of Habitat for Humanity. It is the fifth finished home that they have built in the last six months.

Excited, Bailey expressed, “I want to thank all of Habitat. The employees, workers, everybody that know Habitat. I want to thank God for you all, you all are a blessing to Little Rock Arkansas.”

Volunteers worked with Habitat for Humanity and the city of North Little Rock’s neighborhood stabilization initiative to build the house, according to KATV.

Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization whose vision is to build “strength, stability and self-reliance in partnership with people and families in need of a decent and affordable home,” its website says.

The Central Arkansas chapter has been providing dedicated houses to several residents since 2024. 

The executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Central Arkansas, Kelly Fleming, remarked, “We believe that we bring people together to build homes, communities, and hope. I think today was a perfect example of that.”

Meanwhile, Bailey revealed that she planned to host a family get-together in July of this year.

Since its founding in 1976, Habitat for Humanity has been dedicated to increasing Black homeownership and reducing the homeownership gap.

In 2021, April Stringfield of Williamsburg, Virginia, got the first keys to a 3D-printed home from Habitat for Humanity, which was built in partnership with Alquist, a 3D printing company.

Stringfield purchased the home through the Habitat Homebuyer Program and she received the keys to her new home just in time for Christmas.