By Demetrius D. Jordan, Executive Director, Athens Land Trust
This story launches The “We” Series—a collection of features sharing the journeys of families whose lives have been transformed through affordable homeownership, land stewardship, and community partnership. At Athens Land Trust, we believe no one builds alone. We build together.
— Demetrius D. Jordan, Executive Director
The Word That Built a Home
When Diseray Phillips talks about her journey to owning her first home, she keeps returning to one small, ordinary word: we.
It was the word her housing counselor, Angela Hurtt, used every time the process felt overwhelming. When credit scores dipped, when appointments were missed, when doubt crept in after a twelve-hour shift.
“She never said you,” Diseray recalled. “She always said we. ‘We’re not going to give up.’ That made me feel like I was never alone.”
For a mother of six who grew up in public housing in Athens—and who never imagined she’d sign her own closing papers, and be handed a key with her name on the deed—that word carried the weight of belonging. It carried dignity. It carried hope. It meant she wasn’t alone–not in the struggle, not in the dream.
A Home of Her Own
When I first walked into Diseray’s new home, the first thing I noticed was the warmth. Holiday decorations still rested on the dining room table. The kitchen—bright with new appliances—looked like the beginning of a new chapter. The details were small, but intentional. The kind of touches that signal someone finally has a space to shape and care for.
She laughed when I asked if she was a designer.
“I’d love to be,” she said. “I just never thought I could.”
Now, standing in the doorway of her first home, that modest dream didn’t feel so far away. The home glowed not just with holiday lights but with the visible peace of a woman who had carried a family of seven through one bathroom, constant noise, and years of deferred dreams. But here, for the first time, she exhaled.
“Sometimes when I pull up in my driveway, I just start crying. I always wanted this, but I never thought it would come true.”
Breaking the Cycle
Raised in Athens by her grandmother, Dorothy Cantrell, Diseray carries family history that spans generations in the city. Yet through those generations, stable homeownership was rare.
“My mom told me I broke a generational curse,” she said quietly.
Her great-grandmother once owned a home but lost it to back taxes. After that, housing instability became the norm.
Until now.
Housing by the Numbers
Today, the barriers are even steeper:
- Athens-Clarke County median home price: $330,000+
- Median income for a single-mother household: < $45,000
- Georgia: 63% overall homeownership
- Black homeownership: only 27%
- U.S. renters: 11 million spend over 50% of their income on housing
Across Georgia, only 27% of Black households own their homes, compared to 77% of white households. In Athens-Clarke County, the disparity is even wider. The median home price here now exceeds $330,000, while the median household income for a single mother like Diseray is under $45,000. For most families, the math doesn’t add up.
Against these odds, Athens Land Trust’s model—building permanently affordable homes and supporting families through the full path to ownership—changes the narrative.
The Day the Keys Turned
Diseray remembers the day she held the keys. She had spent the morning second-guessing everything. Was this really happening? Could she afford it? Was she ready?
Then came the click of the lock.
“Not until I turned that doorknob did I believe it was mine,” she said.
Her children rushed in, running from room to room. Her 14-year-old daughter finally had her own bed. The youngest two had a space to play.
And for the first time in years, their mother could breathe.
“Everybody’s voices changed,” she said. “There’s peace in our house now. Real peace.”
How the Athens Land Trust Model Works
Athens Land Trust operates on a simple but transformational idea: the land itself is the foundation of affordable homeownership.
Under the community land trust model, ALT secures and stewards the land, while families like Diseray buy the home sitting on it.
The family owns their home outright—building equity, stability, and a foundation for generational wealth—while ALT ensures that the land remains protected for permanently affordable housing.
This creates one powerful outcome:
The home stays affordable not just for the first owner, but for every owner who comes after.
It shields families from displacement, rising housing costs, and speculative real-estate pressures.
It keeps people rooted in the neighborhoods they love—near their schools, churches, employers, and support networks.
The model is designed for first-time homebuyers, working families, essential workers, single parents, and others who have been locked out of the traditional housing market.
Homeowners build wealth; communities gain stability; neighborhoods retain their identity.
In a city where affordability is rapidly eroding, the community land trust model doesn’t just build homes— it preserves the promise of home, forever.
“Slow Work Is Good Work”
There were moments when Diseray wanted to walk away.
“I’d get frustrated,” she said. “I was doing everything right, but nothing seemed to change. I told Angela, ‘I’m done.’ And she’d say, ‘No, we’re not giving up.’”
But Angela didn’t let her quit. No one at Athens Land Trust did. And at a crucial moment, Housing Director Chadsity Young stepped in with clarity and reassurance.
“Chadsity explained exactly what I needed. And she said, ‘You already have it.’ That’s when everything clicked.”
Angela’s mantra—slow work is good work—became a life lesson.
Diseray learned to budget. She learned to save. She learned credit utilization, patience, and the value of steady, incremental progress.
Those lessons are now being passed to her children.
“My 16- and 17-year-olds have savings accounts,” she said. “I even added my daughter to my credit card to build her credit. What I learned in my 30s, I want them to learn in their 20s.”
For Diseray, that’s real generational wealth — not just property, but mindset.
The Next Dream
Despite working more than a decade at Captain D’s—rising from cashier to shift manager—Diseray always dreamed of becoming a teacher.
Now that she has her home, she’s ready to reach for her next chapter.
She has already begun substitute training and classroom mentorship. The confidence she gained from purchasing her home has shifted her entire trajectory.
“I don’t want to just work to pay for this house. I want to live to enjoy it.”
A home made her stable. Teaching will make her fulfilled.
We Are Home
Across Athens and the state of Georgia, the word we feels especially meaningful. Every Athens Land Trust home is built by a network of neighbors—donors, staff, volunteers, and partners—who believe that everyone deserves a safe, affordable place to call home.
Nationally, more than 11 million renter households spend over 50% of their income on housing. In Athens alone, nearly one in three families face housing insecurity. Yet, in stories like Diseray’s, we glimpse what happens when the word we becomes more than a pronoun — when it becomes a promise.
“Thank you,” she said near the end of our conversation. “Because without the people who give, we wouldn’t be here. Their help changes lives every day. It changed mine.”
Epilogue
As I left her home, the warm light of the living room glowed softly from the window. The space felt truly alive with comfort. The house seemed to breathe with possibility.
This was more than a new homeowner. It was a new chapter — for her, for her family, and for what “home” can mean in Athens.
It began with one word.
We.
About Athens Land Trust
Athens Land Trust (ALT) is a nonprofit organization working at the intersection of affordable housing, land conservation, and community agriculture. By protecting land and expanding access to homeownership, ALT helps families build wealth, stability, and opportunity—one home, one acre, and one generation at a time.
How You Can Help
If Diseray’s story moved you, join us.
Help us open more doors, build more homes, and create more “we.”
- Partner with Athens Land Trust
- Invest in affordable housing
- Support families building generational stability
Your contribution becomes someone’s beginning.