The red brick rowhomes along Bennett Street on Wilmington’s East Side stand regally, recently poured concrete steps leading to brightly colored doors.
Residents here have placed flower pots and other greenery next to their stoops, and Ring doorbell cameras hang beside black mailboxes drilled into the new brick.
Across the street, five new homes built with the same materials are nearing completion, though the wood beams that make up front porches have yet to be painted. Still, the fresh timber stands in stark contrast to the wood planks that board up dilapidated homes just blocks away.
These Habitat for Humanity houses are not traditionally what one thinks of when picturing Wilmington’s East Side. Yet they’re indicative of the type of affordable housing the city and New Castle County are increasingly trying to build – to both revitalize the area and tackle the affordable housing crisis in Delaware and across the nation.