The city of Baltimore has more than 16,000 vacant buildings. Also, the percentage of Black households who own their own homes lags white households by 29%. Put those facts together, and you have an opportunity.

As a carpenter by trade, Shelley Halstead saw that opportunity. She founded, and is now executive director of, Black Women Build – Baltimore, a nonprofit that buys abandoned houses, works with Black women to restore them and then sells the houses to the women at affordable prices. It hasn’t been easy; she purchased her first homes just days before they were to be demolished, had to convince banks the risk was worth taking, and navigate COVID restrictions. But in an era where affordable housing is a major problem in many communities, this is one example of good news.

For the details, see “Transforming a Blighted Block into a Community of Black Women Homeowners” by Amy Scott (https://www.marketplace.org/2020/08/11/transforming-a-blighted-block-into-a-community-of-black-women-homeowners/?).