TULSA, Okla., March 27, 2021 - Green Country Habitat for Humanity (GCHFH) breaks ground on the first development in its recently announced North Tulsa Initiative on Saturday, March 27 with a groundbreaking ceremony at 1:00 p.m. The project, named Peace Pointe consists of ten owner-occupied, single-family homes, at 33rd Street North and North Columbia Avenue. The project is being co-developed by Boomtown Development Co., a subsidiary of GCHFH. All ten homes sold in less than two weeks, and there is currently a waiting list of potential homeowners seeking new homes in North Tulsa.

“We’re excited to see these homes in such high demand,” says GCHFH CEO and President Cameron Walker. “With this development, we also roll-out our next generation home design. In taking the time to update our style, finishes and floorplans, we will improve the quality, attractiveness and resale value of these homes.”

Homeowners in the program must complete several months of educational coursework, with an emphasis on Money Management strategies. The future owners of the homes at Peace Pointe began their classes on Saturday, March 6.

One homeowner, Denise Gilton, will be living with two young children, and is excited to purchase a home in the community where she already lives and works. “Homeownership would mean fulfilling a lifelong dream, building memories in our own home, and a place to call our own.”

Working in conjunction with other organizations, the hope is to spur economic development by combining existing housing, new rental housing and new owner-occupied housing in a density that will create additional interest in the area.

Diamon Haley, another homeowner, appreciates that the homes are in a quiet neighborhood, across from a park. Like many clients, she heard about the program through a friend who purchased a home years ago. Haley shares the benefit of choosing a home in Peace Pointe development, “I like that it’s a block of families all going through the program together, so we get to know each other.”

“Building multiple homes at a time allows us to scale the purchases associated with construction, and it creates exponential impact for the community and homebuyers,” says Walker. “This should also save on construction time.”

Even though these families represent various sectors of the workforce in different stages of life, they all have an interest in investing and planting roots in this area.

The need for quality housing, particularly owner-occupied housing, in North Tulsa is profound. The plan over the next 5-7 years is to add 250 new homes in this area of Tulsa. Working with other partners like the City of Tulsa, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, and lenders, such as Gateway First Bank, are essential to these bigger impact projects.

Gateway First Bank has recently joined GCHFH mortgage consortium and will be funding the loans for all the Peace Pointe families. Tina Johnson, the Mortgage Center Manager, will work directly with the 10 families through their new mortgage center, located at The Shoppes on Peoria, 1717 N. Peoria Ave.

“Strengthening communities is at the core of Gateway’s business foundation,” Says Scott Gesell, CEO and General Counsel for Gateway First Bank. “With the opening of our newest mortgage center in North Tulsa, we have actively been seeking partnerships with the North Tulsa community leadership so that we can expand our outreach to assist this traditionally underserved community.”

“Our mission is to be a local resource for those who want to become successful homeowners,” says Johnson. “We know that the process of becoming a homeowner can be overwhelming, and we want to help community residents who are interested in exploring their options. We plan to offer in-person and virtual financial education classes, which we believe will provide consumers valuable information as they explore homeownership.”

About Green Country Habitat for Humanity

Green Country Habitat for Humanity is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1988, which offers affordable homeownership opportunities to first-time homebuyers. GCHFH builds high-quality, Energy Star-certified three- and four-bedroom homes and sells them to clients accepted into its Homebuyer Program. Clients benefit from free credit counseling and must complete extensive financial coursework. At the end of the process, clients are matched with a low-interest mortgage through GCHFH’s lender network. Clients also receive down payment assistance and other subsidies to ensure that mortgage payments are not more than one-third of their household income.

For more information, visit www.greencountryhabitat.org

About Boomtown Development Company

Boomtown Development Company is a 501c3 supporting affiliate of Green Country Habitat for Humanity and a Community Housing Development Organization with the City of Tulsa. Boomtown was created to develop workforce/missing middle single-family housing, as well as rental housing for Tulsa Habitat’s PATHWAYS program. Boomtown Development Co. serves families having a household income of between 80% and 120% of the Area Median Income, while Green Country Habitat serves families who earn 30% to 80% of area median income as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

For more information, visit www.tulsaboomtown.org

About Gateway First Bank 

Gateway First Bank is a leading financial institution that provides banking and mortgage services for consumers and commercial customers. Headquartered in Jenks, Oklahoma, Gateway is a $1.9 billion asset sized bank with a strong mortgage operation.  Gateway is one of the largest banking and mortgage operations in the United States with six bank branches in Oklahoma, over 160 mortgage centers in 42 states, and almost 1,600 employees.  Learn more at www.GatewayFirst.com. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender (NMLS 7233)

Follow Gateway First on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GatewayFirstBank/), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/gatewayfirst/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/Gateway1st).