Selma Gives Away Free Home as Part of Revitalization Effort

U.S. Head Topics | March 1, 2025

 

A free fully furnished home was given away in Selma, Alabama as part of a public-private partnership to revitalize the city after a devastating tornado. The initiative aims to build 100 affordable homes and support families with young children.

A free home was given away in downtown Selma on February 28, 2025, as part of a public-private partnership to revitalize the city after a devastating tornado in 2023. Fourteen women eagerly awaited the announcement, hoping their name would be called, the lucky winner receiving a fully-furnished home. A DJ spun tunes while food trucks provided sustenance to the crowd gathered on the lawn. Keys bearing each woman’s name were placed in a bingo cage, and Desiree McGuire’s key emerged.

Cheers erupted, and McGuire, adorned in heels she brought just in case, received a heartfelt embrace from the other hopefuls. McGuire entered the lottery, available to families with children enrolled in the Black Belt Community Foundation Head Start program. This non-profit, in collaboration with the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA), a national non-profit focused on affordable housing, the city of Selma, and the Selma Housing Authority, is working to build 100 new affordable homes. The project aims to bolster Selma’s resilience in the wake of the 2023 tornado, which destroyed over 600 structures and nearly half of the city’s residential neighborhoods.

The newly constructed homes are designed to be energy-efficient and climate-resistant, mitigating the impact of future natural disasters. They are also priced affordably, with a list price of $169,500 for the three-bedroom, two-bathroom units. Significantly, the Selma Housing Authority is now allowing Section 8 vouchers to be utilized towards homeownership. This means subsidies from housing authority vouchers can be applied towards mortgage payments instead of rent.

Kennard Randolph, president of the Selma Housing Authority, emphasized the transformative nature of this initiative, stating, ‘This is the work that needs to be done, the work of not only giving away a home, but the work of transforming a family’s life.’ This opportunity, he added, will empower families who might not have otherwise been able to achieve homeownership. The first 10 homes are now available for purchase.

The housing authority procured the land, while NACA purchased the houses, with $700,000 in funding provided by the community foundation. Selma, a city with a rich civil rights history, has been experiencing a steady population decline for years, hastened by white flight and the closure of Craig Air Force Base in 1977. This decline has resulted in the closure of numerous businesses and community centers, further exacerbating the city’s challenges