Housing Development and Property Management
Since 1981, AchieveAbility has developed 185 housing units in West Philadelphia. AchieveAbility develops housing from abandoned homes and vacant lots that are located close to the services and the resources needed by its client families. AchieveAbility's housing development activities not only help these families but also help the neighborhoods where the homes are located to be healthy and safe environments for whole communities by replacing unsafe, dilapidated, condemned houses with new homes. AchieveAbility continues to manage 146 housing units for the families in its program. It provides technical assistance to other organizations seeking to develop housing, as it recently did in assisting ActionAIDS in developing Casa Nueva Vida. AchieveAbility is in the process of developing 10 houses for homeownership.

Homeownership Education, Counseling and Assistance: To help families reach home ownership, AchieveAbility operates HomeComing Realty LLC, a real estate office at 5253 Spruce Street, several blocks from its main office. The office serves AchieveAbility families as well as the community at large. Through this office, AchieveAbility has begun a homebuyer's club, through which potential homebuyers learn how to responsibly buy and maintain a home. Participants learn about the home buying process, shopping for a home, repairing or building their credit, budgeting, obtaining a mortgage, qualifying for a mortgage, closing and life as a homeowner (including financial management, seasonal inspections, conservation measures, repairs and maintenance and preventing foreclosure). Contact Sister Anne Marie Weisglass, RSM, who is HomeComing Realty's broker (telephone: 215-472-5010, e-mail: hcrllc@hotmail.com). She is also an accredited housing counselor and is the president of the board of the Housing Counseling Association of the Delaware Valley.

Homes for Sale: In addition to developing homes for rent, AchieveAbility also develops homes for sale. This activity increases the housing stock available for homeownership, especially for AchieveAbility clients who reach a sufficient level of self-sufficiency. It also revitalizes neighborhoods by transforming vacant and dilapidated structures with newly refurbished homes.